ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi met President Ashraf Ghani, Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and a coterie of other officials during his one-day visit on Saturday.
Delegation-level talks covered the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as peace and security, Pakistan’s state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
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
Qureshi also held a meeting with Rabbani.
“Talking to his Afghan counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi stressed that Pakistan and Afghanistan will have to work together to meet the common challenges,” Radio Pakistan said.
Earlier, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Faisal confirmed that Qureshi’s “first foreign visit abroad” would underline the importance that Pakistan’s government attaches to working closely with Afghanistan “for regional peace and stability.”
He added that the successful outcome of the visit could lead future efforts in enhancing bilateral cooperation as well. The Pakistani delegation is also expected to discuss the factors that led to the closure of Pakistan’s consulate in Jalalabad city earlier this month.
Both Rabbani and Qureshi, during a call last month, appreciated the recent improvement in relations between the two countries since the launch of the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) in May this year.
“The two leaders agreed that the next round of APAPPS would be soon held in Islamabad. They also welcomed plans to hold a joint Pak-Afghan Ulema conference in Islamabad, the dates for which are being finalized,” a statement from the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said.
