Afghan delegation led by deputy foreign minister calls on NSA

ISLAMABAD: A delegation from Afghanistan led by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai called on National Security Adviser Lieutenant General (R) Nasser Khan Janjua and discussed options to strengthen bilateral relations.

The NSA warmly welcomed the delegates and congratulated them and the Pakistani team for finalizing Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), said a press release issued here Tuesday.

The NSA also expressed hope that the agreement would be instrumental for bringing both sides closer and said Pakistan and Afghanistan had every reason to come close and cooperate with each other.

He said both the countries need to reverse the prevailing challenging situation collectively. Both the countries had immense potential and should complement each other to become a trade corridor by way of regional connectivity. “Prosperity is another name of Security, we have great future but only we are delaying it”, he added.

Both the sides reiterated that economy should be separated from politics rather economic cooperation should be given a chance to surpass political impediments.

They agreed to put more efforts to operationalise APAPPS, to take a fresh start, to bridge existing gaps, to build formal mechanism of cooperation in all areas of mutual interests and to take collective actions to strengthen trust between the two countries.

Speaking on the occasion, Afghan deputy foreign minister said Pakistan and Afghanistan shared many commonalities including challenges and opportunities.

He also highlighted the fact that for sustainable peace in Afghanistan, both countries need to work together.

He added that Pakistan had a very important role to play for regional peace and stability. Moreover, Pakistan was not the part of the problem but solution.

He also expressed hope that after the formal finalization of APAPPS, both the countries would be able to develop a mechanism of sustainable cooperation and would cover the gaps in the way of cordial bilateral relations.