Regional consensus crucial to Afghan Peace Negotiations: SAARC

Foreign Ministers of SAARC member states have emphasized the importance of the regional consensus for the success of the Afghan Peace Negotiations (APN).

In the SAARC Information meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, which was held virtually on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Acting Foreign Minster Mohmmad Haneef Atmar thanked SAARC member-states for their support to the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process.

According to a statement released on Friday, Atmar called on the participating countries to extend necessary support to Afghanistan for achieving “a humanitarian ceasefire between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban, based on the relevant UN Security Council Resolution.” 

“Atmar stressed that the humanitarian ceasefire would help enable relevant institutions of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to provide medical services to the affected communities living throughout Afghanistan,” the statement read.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia.

Its member states are Afghanistan, joined the organization in 2007, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.