TASHKENT: Foreign Minister (FM) Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that Pakistan had been persistent in its efforts for conflict resolution in Afghanistan through political settlement.
While addressing Tashkent Conference, Asif said that advancing regionally was the need of the hour if peace and stability were to be established and maintained in Afghanistan and South Asia. The Foreign Minister stated that initiating mediation and reconciliation talks with the Taliban was not only important but a mutual responsibility of the International community.
The foreign minister added that Pakistan had repeatedly supported Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s National Peace and Reconciliation Plan and his proposed plan of peace talks with the Taliban led by Afghans. He further said that creating pressure on the Taliban together was the key to a lessen violence and adhere to peace.
Khawaja Asif invited Uzbek President Shavakat Mirziyoyev apart from the platform of Tashkent Conference to discuss and pledge for continuous cooperation and collaboration in trade, economy and defense in order to strengthen bilateral relations.
The foreign minister also held meetings with other foreign ministers including Turkish FM Mevlut Cevasoglu, European Union’s (EU) FM Federica Mogherini and Chinese Deputy FM Li Baodong.
Tashkent Conference was a two-day international meet up commenced on Monday in order to discuss Afghan peace process. The participant countries attending the peace summit included United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Iran, Central Asian and South Asian countries and the EU countries including France, Germany and Italy.