Pakistan Backs Iran’s Plan for Regional Talks on Kabul-Islamabad Tensions
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry welcomed Iran’s proposal to host a regional meeting aimed at reducing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad.
Tahir Hussain Andrabi, the spokesperson for the ministry, stated that Islamabad supports peaceful resolution of issues and added that Tehran could play a significant role in this process.
Andrabi said: “Pakistan is always in favour of finding peaceful resolutions of issues through dialogue and diplomacy, and we appreciate the offer of mediation of our brotherly country, Iran. We believe that Iran can play an important role.”
Recently, Iran’s Foreign Minister announced efforts by Tehran to organize a regional meeting in the coming days to help ease tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Abbas Araghchi expressed hope that these efforts would lead to “tangible outcomes” and pave the way for a broader regional dialogue.
He said: “In recent days, we have been engaged in efforts to bring stability and calm between Pakistan and Afghanistan. We have had phone conversations and hope these will yield tangible results. God willing, a regional meeting will be held on the matter.”
Araghchi has also recently held phone conversations with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, discussing Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
In these calls, the Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized the importance of regional consultations to promote peace and stability, particularly in the context of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations.
The Russian Foreign Ministry noted in a statement that both sides stressed the continuation of dialogue between the two friendly countries (Afghanistan and Pakistan) to resolve differences through political and diplomatic means, in order to ensure regional stability and security.
These increased regional efforts to defuse tensions come as Pakistan’s Defense Minister once again claimed that Afghan territory is being used against Pakistan.
Khawaja Asif has also called for a written commitment from Afghanistan, backed by regional countries, to address these concerns.
