Istanbul: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi held a bilateral meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar in Istanbul today. During the meeting, they discussed latest developments in the Afghan peace process and strengthening of bilateral relations.

On the peace process, the Foreign Minister emphasized the need for concerted efforts for a meaningful engagement among the Afghan stakeholders for a negotiated settlement to bring to an end over four-decades long conflict in Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Qureshi expressed the hope that when the Istanbul Conference would be held, all Afghan stakeholders would use this opportunity to engage in serious negotiations to develop a roadmap for an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Qureshi reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to strengthen bilateral relations with Afghanistan in all fields. In this regard, he highlighted the needfor both sides to make effective use of APAPPS to strengthen multi-faceted institutional engagement between the two countries.

The Foreign Minister stated that durable peace in Afghanistan will open opportunities for enhancing regional economic cooperation and connectivity.

The two Ministers also discussed the need for facilitative visa regimes for movement of people and release of prisoners on humanitarian grounds.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi arrived in Istanbul today to participate in the Ministerial meeting of Pakistan-Turkey-Afghanistan trilateral mechanism, at the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.