ISTANBUL, 9 December 2019: Foreign Minister of
Pakistan, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, underscored the need for achieving the
goal of a secure and stable Afghanistan for the economic progress and
prosperity of the entire region.
He made these remarks while addressing the 8th
Ministerial meeting of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process held earlier today at
Istanbul.
Speaking on the occasion, Foreign Minister Qureshi
said that neither any nation could claim to have stronger and more historic bonds
with Afghanistan nor any country was more desirous of peace, stability and
prosperity in Afghanistan than Pakistan. He added that Pakistan continued to
host over 3 million Afghan refugees for the last four decades, and had been playing
a critical role for the development and reconstruction of Afghanistan, including
by committing over US$ 1 billion in development assistance. He highlighted the
importance of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity
(APAPPS) as an important institutional framework in strengthening bilateral relations
between the two sides. 
The Foreign Minister underlined that recent resumption
of efforts for reaching peace and stability in Afghanistan was a positive development,
and expressed Pakistan’s wish to see the peace process lead to inclusive
intra-Afghan negotiations. At the same time, he cautioned against the “spoilers”
in view of their vested interests. He urged the international community to
seize the opportunity for achieving lasting peace in Afghanising by reaching a
broad regional and international consensus.
The Foreign Minister also called on H.E. President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the side-lines of the meeting. Reiterating the historic
and fraternal relations between the two countries, Foreign Minister Qureshi
conveyed the warmest and sincerest wishes for the people and the Government of
Turkey on behalf of the people and the Government of Pakistan on the occasion.
Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi also
held a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu. During the
meeting, the two sides expressed their desire to continue expanding their relations
to new areas of mutual interest, in particular by expanding bilateral economic relations.
The Foreign Minister also held a brief interaction with
the Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, Alice G. Wells, on the
side-lines of the meeting during which matters relating to enhancing
Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral trade were discussed.
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