ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Russia on Wednesday resolved to support all efforts to bring lasting peace to Afghanistan, a statement from the Pakistani national security adviser’s office said.
Islamabad and Moscow have closely been engaged with regard to the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country in mid-August.
At a major international conference in Moscow in October, Pakistan’s special envoy Muhammad Sadiq had urged the world to continue its economic engagement with Afghanistan, saying it was imperative in this context to unfreeze the Afghan financial assets parked in other countries.
Last month, Pakistan also hosted representatives from Russia, China and the United States (US) for the Troika Plus meeting on Afghanistan. The high-level meeting in the Pakistani capital came at a time when the Taliban’s interim foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, was also in Islamabad to discuss bilateral relations.
In this photo, Pakistani National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf (4th from R) leads Pakistani delegation at talks on Afghanistan in Moscow, Russia on Dec 1, 2021. (Pakistani NSA)
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf visited Moscow on the invitation of Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the security council of Russia. He held delegation-level talks with his Russian counterpart as the two sides reviewed the whole gamut of Pakistan-Russia relations and held in-depth discussions on regional and international issues.
“The two sides discussed the situation in Afghanistan at length and resolved to support all efforts to bring lasting peace in Afghanistan,” Yusuf’s office said in a statement.
“They expressed grave concern over the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and urged the need for practical steps by the international community to avert the impending situation.”
The two sides discussed matters of mutual interest including cooperation in economic, energy, defense, counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and information and cybersecurity came under discussion, according to the statement.
They expressed satisfaction over the trajectory of their bilateral relations and agreed to remain engaged on all matters of mutual importance.
