Pakistan, Afghanistan strengthening their ties and promoting regional economic cooperation: Pakistani diplomat

UNITED NATIONS: Afghanistan, under the new leadership, and Pakistan are strengthening their cooperation in a number of fields and boosting regional economic cooperation, a senior Pakistani diplomat has said.

"We have initiated actions to deepen security cooperation, promote bilateral trade, streamline transit trade issues, build a strong economic relationship and enhance regional economic cooperation," Ambassador Sahebzada Ahmed Khan, Pakistan's acting permanent representative to the UN, told the Security Council on Thursday.

Speaking in a debate on Afghanistan, he said that the recent visit by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to Pakistan and other high-level contacts in both civil and military fields had contributed to "an auspicious beginning - a resetting of the relationship."

The Pakistani delegate welcomed Afghanistan's recent agreements -- the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US and Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with NATO -- that allow what he called a seamless transition in the country's security.

Ahmed Khan fully supported the work of UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) in good offices, capacity-building and assistance coordination. "We hope that it would continue to contribute to peace and stability of Afghanistan - our common goal."

The Pakistani delegate drew attention to Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif's proposals at the London Conference on Afghanistan calling for addressing the urgent fiscal crisis and providing sustained financial assistance to make it self-reliant; strengthening efforts in the fight against narcotics production and trafficking; supporting the new government's desire to bring back 5 million Afghan refugees living abroad, and backing projects for regional connectivity, such as the Peshawar-Kabul Motorway and the rail link that allowed the country to function as a "land bridge" in the region.

Terrorism, he stressed in closing, was a common enemy, which must be fought by common endeavours without distinction.