ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has urged the world community to recognize the new reality in Afghanistan and engage with it for peace and stability.
Addressing a joint news conference along with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares after delegation level talks here on Friday, he warned that isolating Afghanistan will have serious consequences and will not be helpful for the Afghan people, the region and the world at large. He said the approach of intimidation, pressure and coercion has not worked and we got to adopt a new positive approach regarding Afghanistan.
Alluding to the flight from Kabul to Doha, he said this safe passage is in sync with the demand of the Europeans. He said we need to encourage the Taliban to stay on course. He regretted that the spoilers did not allow the intra afghan dialogue reach a conclusion. He said if there had been progress on talks things would have been calmer today.
The Foreign Minister however said the world community should immediately focus on averting humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. He expressed satisfaction that a conference is taking place in Geneva to raise funds for the country. He said Pakistan is contributing in its own way. One of our aircraft landed in Afghanistan yesterday (Thursday) with supplies of food and medicines. He said we will continue to extend humanitarian assistance through air and land routes.
The Foreign Minister reiterated the call on the international community to take steps to avert economic collapse of Afghanistan. One of the ways is availability of resources and promoting economic activities. He suggested the decision of freezing the Afghan funds will not be helpful and be revisited.
On bilateral relations, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said there are great opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in different fields. Given the changed security situation in Pakistan, he urged the Spanish counterpart to review the travel advisory.
In his remarks, the Spanish Foreign Minister said Pakistan is a very important partner for his country and the European Union. He said as both countries celebrate seventy years of the establishment of diplomatic relations, this is an excellent opportunity for us to reenergize the bilateral relationship. He expressed the strong desire to work closely with Pakistan and other regional countries to help the Afghan people.
He said both Pakistan and Spain want stability and peace in Afghanistan and no spillover effect to the region. He said we want the humanitarian assistance reach the Afghan people. He said a donor conference on Afghanistan will be held on Monday where the pledges will be made. He said our agencies are ready to help the Afghan people.
