Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar landed in Kabul on Wednesday for a trilateral meeting with Afghanistan and China on terrorism and other issues.
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO) said that FM Dar was received by Afghan deputy Dr. Mohammad Naeem, other Afghan officials and Pakistan ambassador to Afghanistan, Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani.
“During the meeting, discussions will be held to improve cooperation between the three countries, especially in trade, regional connectivity and anti -terrorism domain,” said the FO.
He added that giving would also hold a bilateral meeting with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, to discuss issues between the two countries.
On May 21, Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed in principle to improve their diplomatic relations by exchanging ambassadors, a key step to normalize ties after years of tense relations between Islamabad and the Taliban administration in Kabul.
Understanding was achieved during an informal trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan in Beijing. The conversations were part of Beijing’s broader effort to relieve regional tensions and advance connectivity through its Belt and Road initiative.
Pakistan and China had also indicated that there was an agreement on the extension of the China-Pakistan economic corridor to Afghanistan.
China, which has strategic interests in regional stability and economic integration, organized the meeting to help resume the trilateral dialogue of China-Affanistan-Pakistan, which had stopped since 2023.
The key results of the Beijing meeting also included commitments to improve cooperation in security and anti-terrorism, including joint action against militant groups and external interference and an understanding of formally resuming the trilateral process by convening the sixth dialogue of foreign ministers of China-Affanistan-Pakistan-Pakistan in Kabul.
At the beginning of that month, the Afghan government had asked “mutual respect and constructive commitment” with Pakistan and China, according to a statement issued by its Interior Ministry.
The statement was issued after special envoys from Pakistan and China, Mohammad Sadiq and Yue Xiaoyong, met with the Minister of the Interior Afghan Sirajuddin Haqqani in Kabul.
