DUSHANBE, Tajikistan: The Foreign Ministers of the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the Islamic Republic of Iran met on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Summits in Dushanbe to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
The ministers reaffirmed their intention to promote peace, security, and stability in Afghanistan and in the region as a whole.
The ministers emphasized that the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan should be respected, the basic principle of “Afghan-led, Afghan-owned” should be implemented, and the rights to pursue peace, stability, development, and prosperity by the Afghan people should be maintained.
They stressed the importance of engaging with those states, which should bear primary responsibility for post-conflict socio-economic reconstruction in Afghanistan and should provide Afghanistan with urgently needed economic, livelihood, and humanitarian assistance.
They noted the need to conclude national reconciliation in Afghanistan, resulting in an inclusive government that takes into account the interests of all ethnopolitical forces of the country.
Given the security challenges emanating from the territory of Afghanistan, they stressed the need to coordinate efforts to counter threats, especially the spread of terrorism and drug trafficking, in order to ensure regional stability and address legitimate concerns and interests of neighboring states.
The foreign ministers expressed their concern over the precarious humanitarian and socio-economic situation in Afghanistan, as well as the risks of a possible refugee influx in the region.
They stressed the need for restoring peaceful life and economic recovery of the country, and call on the international community to continue providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan on an urgent basis.
The foreign ministers decided to continue coordination among Russia, China, Pakistan, and Iran on Afghanistan and hold meetings at the ministerial, special envoy, and ambassadorial levels in due course.
