ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday morning left for Kabul on his maiden foreign tour after assuming the Office for a day-long stay in the Afghan Capital.
Qureshi’s first visit to Kabul underlines the importance, the new Pakistani government attaches to work closely with Afghanistan for regional peace and stability, said the Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal.
The Spokesman said that successful outcome of the foreign minister’s visit to Kabul will lead future efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation under bilateral frameworks of cooperation including Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Coordination Authority (APTTCA) and Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) etc.
FM Qureshi left for Kabul on his first foreign visit abroad underlining the importance government attaches to work closely with Afghanistan for regional peace and stability
— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@ForeignOfficePk) September 15, 2018
Successful outcome of the visit will lead future efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation under bilateral frameworks of cooperation including APAPPS, APTTCA, JEC etc.
— Dr Mohammad Faisal (@ForeignOfficePk) September 15, 2018
During his stay in Kabul, Shah Mahmood Qureshi will hold talks with the Afghan leadership on host of issues especially bilateral relations, peace and security.
The foreign minister will meet his Afghan Counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani, the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.
Salahuddin Rabbani extended an invitation to Shah Mahmood Qureshi for undertaking a visit to Kabul when the two foreign ministers held telephonic conversation on September 3.
During that conversation, they discussed the recent deteriorated security situation which led the closure of Pakistan’s Consulate General in Jalalabad, the APAPPS process, and the Afghan peace initiatives. In addition, they also discussed the proposed Joint Pak-Afghan Ulema Conference.
Qureshi reiterated that as close neighbors, peace and prosperity of Pakistan and Afghanistan are interlinked while highlighting the need to work together for achieving lasting regional peace.
