Islamabad to host China-Pakistan-Afghanistan foreign ministers’ dialogue

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan / ISTANBUL, Türkiye (AA) – Islamabad is set to host a trilateral dialogue of top diplomats from China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, Beijing announced on Thursday.

China’s Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Qin Gang will pay a two-day visit to Pakistan from Friday to attend the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan foreign ministers’ dialogue in Pakistan.

Beijing said Qin’s visit was an “important part of the recent intensive interactions” between high-level officials of China and Pakistan.

Qin will meet Pakistani national leaders and co-chair the fourth China-Pakistan foreign ministers’ strategic dialogue with Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the statement said.

The duo will have “in-depth face-to-face communication on bilateral relations and international and regional situations.”

Qin is currently visiting India to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit of foreign ministers, from where he will fly to Islamabad.

His trip to Beijing’s ally comes in the backdrop of Pakistan army chief Gen. Asim Munir’s four-day visit to China where he backed “further development” of bilateral relations.

In Kabul, the Foreign Ministry said interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will visit Islamabad over the weekend.

“It is planned that at the end of this week, a comprehensive political and commercial delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi will go to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan,” Hafiz Zia Ahmad, deputy spokesman of the ministry, tweeted.

Muttaqi-led Afghan delegation will discuss bilateral, political and commercial relations in meetings with Pakistani officials, he added.

He confirmed Muttaqi will also participate in the sixth tripartite meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan.

Muttaqi will also hold bilateral talks with the Chinese foreign minister, he added.

The Afghan interim minister’s trip to Pakistan has been cleared by UN Security Council at Islamabad’s request. Muttaqi, a senior Taliban figure, is subject to a UN ban.

The trilateral dialogue is expected to discuss the expansion of CPEC to Afghanistan, as well as the ban on working of women in the war-torn nation, which has triggered widespread condemnation.

Islamabad, meanwhile, is also expected to raise security issues with Kabul as terror attacks on its security forces have increased in areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

While Islamabad accuse the Pakistani Taliban of using Afghan soil to plan and execute the attacks, Afghan Taliban deny the claims.