China, Afghanistan, Pakistan agree to enhance cooperation

The two-day third round of China- Afghanistan- Pakistan trilateral dialogue was concluded here in Kabul on Tuesday with agreement for further boosting cooperation among the three neighboring countries. Chaired by Ambassador Sultan Ahmad Bahin, director general of 3rd Political Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Ambassador Luo Zhaohui, director general of Asian Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, and Muhammad Iftikhar Anjum, director general of Afghanistan Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, the three sides agreed to cooperate and to maintain the security in Afghanistan and in the region. The three countries agreed that under the current situation it is of great significance for three Foreign Ministries to hold the trilateral dialogue and exchange views on regional situation and cooperation between the three countries, stressing that dialogue will play a positive role in enhancing friendly cooperation between the three countries and maintaining peace and stability in the region. In the meeting, the three countries also discussed regional situation, and acknowledged that Afghanistan is going through a period of transition and handover of security responsibility to Afghan National Security Forces and 2014 presidential election. Afghanistan needs its neighbors to play a positive role in maintaining peace, smooth election and stability in the region. It was agreed that the three sides to cooperate and to maintain the security in Afghanistan and in the region. Both China and Pakistan reiterated that peace and stability in Afghanistan is in their national interest and they support the"Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" reconciliation process. China and Pakistan support the efforts of the Afghanistan High Peace Council in this regard. The three countries supported the role played by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for peace and stability in the region. The meeting welcomed the successful visit by President Hamid Karzai to Pakistan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Kabul as a step for improving cooperation between two countries. The three parties highlighted the importance of countering the common threats of terrorism, extremism and separatism. In the two-day meeting which opened on Monday, the three sides agreed to verify and share information on security threats to Chinese companies and personnel working on different projects in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The meeting highlighted the importance of counter-narcotics campaign especially due to the nexus between terrorism and drug money, and stressed that a comprehensive strategy is needed to address this issue. The three countries expressed satisfaction with the third trilateral dialogue, considering it as an important undertaking for the three countries to enhance mutual understanding, trust and friendship and agreed to jointly address their common concerns. All the three sides agreed that the regional cooperation to ensure stability in the region is heading in the right direction and welcomed the outcome of the Istanbul Conference held in Almaty on April 26,2013, and welcomed the readiness of the People's Republic of China to host the next Ministers Meeting of Istanbul Process in China by 2014. The three sides welcomed the first Track-II trilateral dialogue in Beijing in August 2013, as well as the first joint visit of Afghan and Pakistani parliamentarians to China in September 2013. The Chinese and Afghan sides welcomed Pakistan's offer to host the second Track-II Trilateral Dialogue in Islamabad in 2014. The Afghan and Pakistani sides welcomed China's offer to host the second joint parliamentary delegation as well as the second joint media delegation from Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2014. The Chinese and Pakistani sides supported the Afghan proposal of establishing a joint trilateral association of journalist, as well as a trilateral friendship group of parliamentarians. In the meeting, the Chinese side agreed to host the next China - Afghanistan- Pakistan trilateral meeting in China in 2014.