ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday offered technical assistance to Afghanistan in transit trade regime, movement of people by land and air, and other fields, the Pakistani foreign office said, after a meeting between acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad.
Muttaqi is currently on his maiden three-day visit to Islamabad to discuss enhanced trade, cross-border movement, land and aviation links, and regional connectivity.
On Thursday, Qureshi received the acting Taliban foreign minister and his high-level delegation, including the acting ministers for industry and commerce as well as finance, and the deputy minister of aviation.
The Pakistani side included Aviation Minister Sarwar Khan, PM’s advisers on finance and commerce, and other senior officials.
“During the meeting, outcomes of the meetings of working groups on strengthening bilateral and transit trade regime and facilitating movement of people by land and air were shared,” the foreign office said in a statement.
“Pakistan offered technical assistance in a range of areas and shared a number of proposals. It was agreed to continue discussions with a view to strengthen existing ties and identify new areas of cooperation.”
Qureshi underscored Pakistan’s continuing efforts for humanitarian assistance and economic support to Afghanistan, given the twin challenges being faced by the Afghan people.
The acting Afghan foreign minister thanked Pakistan for its continued support to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, particularly for hosting millions of refugees for the last four decades, according to the statement.
He assured the Pakistani side of full cooperation in strengthening fraternal ties for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two countries.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan-Afghanistan working groups on trade, transit and commerce, finance and aviation met under the chairmanship of the respective ministers from the two countries.
