Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrived in Iran on Tuesday to attend a ministerial meeting of Afghanistan's close neighbours, Aaj News reported.
The meeting is scheduled to be held on October 27 (Wednesday). Qureshi will present Pakistan's viewpoint at the meeting on the prevailing situation in Afghanistan. The foreign ministers and political representatives of China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan will also attend the meeting to discuss the formation of an inclusive government and other Afghan issues.
On September 8, at Pakistan’s invitation, the FMs of China, Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan held the first “Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the Afghan Issue Among the Neighbouring Countries of Afghanistan” via video link.
'Changed reality in Afghanistan': FM Qureshi calls for 'pragmatic approach'
Addressing the meeting, the FM said that recent events have catapulted Afghanistan to gain global spotlight.
He said no one could have anticipated the recent turn of events in Afghanistan, saying that all previous assessments and predictions proved wrong. "Notwithstanding the un-anticipated and sudden nature of these developments, it is important to note that the much dreaded bloodshed has not occurred," he said.
A joint statement which was issued stated that the foreign ministers, noting that with the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, the people of Afghanistan now have to determine their own future, which should allow in practice to realise “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned” process for national peace and reconciliation.
They recognised that the changes undergone in Afghanistan prove yet again that there is no military solution to this issue, and emphasising the importance of an inclusive political structure in Afghanistan with participation of all ethnic groups.
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