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Turkey to host trilateral foreign ministers meeting with Afghanistan and Pakistan
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday that a trilateral meeting between foreign ministers from Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan will take place on Friday, April 23, in Istanbul to discuss the Afghan peace process.
According to a statement issued by Turkey’s foreign office, a “trilateral meeting between Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan will take place on 23 April 2021 in Istanbul.”
“Along with recent developments regarding the Afghan Peace Process, cooperation in the fields of security, energy, connectivity and irregular migration will be discussed during the Trilateral Meeting.
“On the margins of the meeting, H.E. Çavuşoğlu will also hold bilateral meetings with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts,” read the statement.
Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar meanwhile left Kabul on Thursday afternoon for Istanbul where he will attend the meeting, said the ministry.
According to the ministry, the meeting, due to be held tomorrow, will focus on ways to reach a political settlement in Afghanistan, the resumption of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, strengthening of regional consensus for supporting peace, Turkey and Pakistan’s role in this regard, and consolidating trilateral relations.
At the sidelines of this meeting, Atmar will also engage in bilateral meetings on strengthening political, economic, and security cooperation, read the statement.
This comes just a day after Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations announced the much-anticipated Istanbul Conference had been postponed.
The conference, that was to have been co-hosted by Turkey, Qatar and the UN, had been proposed by the United States as part of its efforts to secure a peace agreement between the Afghan Republic and the Taliban.
However, last week the Taliban said in response to US President Joe Biden’s announcement that troops would be out of the country by September 11, and not as originally agreed on May 1, that they would not attend any summit on peace until all troops had exited.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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