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World must recognise and engage with new reality in Afghanistan, says Qureshi alongside Spanish FM


Dawn.com
September 10, 2021


Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares (L) and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi address a press conference in Islamabad. — APP


Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares (L) and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi address a press conference in Islamabad. — APP


Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday that there was a new reality in Afghanistan, one the world needed to recognise and engage with.

The foreign minister made the comments while addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares after holding delegation-level talks.

"There is a new reality in Afghanistan. The world must recognise that new reality and engage with it. Weigh your options [and decide] what is the best way forward.

"In my view, the best way forward is international engagement as opposed to international isolation," he said, adding that the latter will have undesirable consequences.

"It will not be helpful for Afghanistan, the region and eventually not be helpful for [the world]," the foreign minister said.

He stressed that a "new approach" needed to be adopted, adding that intimidation, pressure and coercion had not worked — a fact that must be accepted.

Qureshi said positive outcomes needed to be incentivised.

The foreign minister pointed to the resumption of the evacuation of foreigners on Thursday when a flight left Kabul for Doha and said that such developments were in line with the demands of the international community.
"Be positive and encourage [the Taliban] to stay on course," he said.

Responding to a question regarding why the international community was unable to recognise the ground reality in Afghanistan, Qureshi said he had gathered from his interactions with colleagues that "people are not in a hurry and are watching and waiting".

"There is recognition of a new reality and there is the awareness that engagement is required and that dialogue can be useful," Qureshi said, adding that while the desire to engage was present, there was no "rush to recognise".

'Need to focus on humanitarian crisis'

The foreign minister stressed that immediate focus was needed on the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. "We have to chip in," he said.

Qureshi voiced appreciation for an upcoming conference in Geneva on how the international community could contribute in averting a humanitarian crisis and raising funds for Afghans.

He also mentioned Pakistan's efforts in this regard, talking about the Pakistan Air Force aircraft which landed at Kabul airport on Thursday morning carrying relief goods.


"We will continue to do that through air and land routes and the international community should also do their bit," Qureshi said.

The foreign minister said that Afghanistan's economic collapse would not be in the interest of any stakeholder and steps should be taken to avert such an outcome.
 
FM Qureshi, UAE FM agree to strengthen cooperation in all fields


September 15, 2021

On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi received a telephone call from his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

During the telephonic conversation, the two foreign ministers discussed various dimensions of Pakistan-UAE relations.

The two foreign ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation in all fields.

They also resolved to continue their close collaboration in various multilateral fora, said a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The two foreign ministers agreed to remain in close contact on bilateral matters as well as regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan.

FM Qureshi congratulated his counterpart on making excellent arrangements for Expo2020 and hoped that the mega event would be a resounding success.
 
Ties with Russia key priority for Pakistan, says foreign minister

FM Qureshi, Russian counterpart discuss bilateral ties, Afghan crisis among other issues in Dushanbe


News Desk
September 16, 2021

foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi met with his russian counterpart sergey lavrov on sco sidelines in dushanbe photo twitter smqureshipti


Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on SCO sidelines in Dushanbe.


Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Dushanbe and reiterated commitment to further enhance the bilateral ties.

Recalling earlier interaction with Lavrov during the latter’s visit to Pakistan in April 2021, the two leaders exchanged views on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, a statement issued by the Foreign Office said on Thursday.

Matters relating to the regional and global issues were also the subject of discussion.

FM Qureshi stated that relations with Russia are one of the key priorities of Pakistan’s foreign policy. Pakistan is committed to furthering cooperation with Russia in trade, investment, energy, defence and people-to-people exchanges as well as collaboration at multilateral and regional fora including the SCO, the official statement quoted Qureshi as saying.

He underscored the importance of peace and stability in Afghanistan for the regional security and prosperity. He emphasised the urgent need for the promotion of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in order to address food and medicine shortage in the country.

Qureshi underlined the need for the international community to remain engaged in Afghanistan.

Also read: PM Imran arrives in Dushanbe for SCO Summit

He added that strengthening trade and investment relations and cooperation in the energy sector are the cornerstones of engagement with Russia.

In this context, Pakistan looked forward to holding of Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade and Investment in Russia later this year. The foreign minister also reaffirmed the government’s resolve for early realisation of the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline Project.

Qureshi thanked FM Lavrov for enhancing scholarships for Pakistani students in academic institutions in Russia.

Pakistan and Russia enjoy close, friendly ties marked by mutual trust and understanding.

Relations between Islamabad and Moscow have been on an upward trajectory propelled by converging views on important regional and international issues, growing trust and increasing bilateral cooperation manifested by recent high-level interactions, according to the communiqué.

The two foreign ministers agreed to remain in close contact.
 
FM, Bahraini counterpart discuss Afghan situation, bilateral ties in telephonic coversation

Thu, 16 Sep 2021, 12:40 AM

ISLAMABAD, Sep 15 (APP): Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday received a telephone call from Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

During the call, the two Foreign Ministers exchanged views on the latest developments in Afghanistan and also discussed a number of issues of bilateral importance.

The Foreign Minister underlined that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was of critical importance for Pakistan and the region.

In this perspective, he called for international solidarity with the Afghan people, both in terms of financial and political support.

Taking stock of the extraordinary situation emerging out of the recent developments in Afghanistan, he emphasized the need to meet the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people and extend development assistance.

The Foreign Minister also apprised the Bahraini Foreign Minister about continued humanitarian support by Pakistan in several ways, including by establishment of a humanitarian corridor for the delivery of relief goods.

In the bilateral context, the two Foreign Ministers discussed various dimensions of Pakistan-Bahrain relations and agreed to strengthen cooperation in all fields.

The two Ministers agreed to remain in close contact on bilateral matters as well as regional issues of common interest.
 
FM Qureshi, Canadian counterpart discuss latest developments in Afghanistan

On Saturday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi received a telephone call from the Foreign Minister of Canada Marc Garneauon.

During the telephonic converstion, the two foreign ministers exchanged views on the latest developments in Afghanistan and also discussed bilateral matters.

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi underlined the need for achieving an inclusive political settlement and the importance of the international community in providing humanitarian and economic assistance to Afghanistan.

He also apprised minister Garneau of his regional outreach efforts regarding the situation in Afghanistan.

FM Qureshi briefed his Canadian counterpart regarding humanitarian support provided by Pakistan including the establishment of a humanitarian corridor for the delivery of relief goods and in-kind assistance by Pakistan for Afghan brethren through air and land routes.

He also called upon the Canadian government to ease the visa regime especially for students and businessmen and asked for a further positive revision of the Canadian travel advisory for Pakistan.

In regard to the tragic incident on 16 September, involving a Pakistani-Canadian family in Hamilton Ontario, the foreign minister expressed confidence in the ability of Canadian authorities to ensure justice.

The Canadian foreign minister agreed that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was crucial for regional peace, stability, and prosperity, and praised Pakistan’s efforts in promoting these objectives.

He expressed gratitude to Pakistan for its facilitation in evacuation-related matters and hoped that such support would continue.

The two foreign ministers agreed to remain engaged and further strengthen bilateral ties.
 
FM Qureshi discusses Afghanistan issue with Egyptian counterpart

Qureshi urges sustained engagement with Afghanistan for durable peace


Our Correspondent
September 22, 2021


Qureshi-with-Egyptian-counterpart1632301897-0.jpg


ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday met Egyptian counterpart Sameh Hassan Shoukry on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly to discuss the Afghanistan conflict among other issues.

During the meeting, the two ministers reviewed the entire spectrum of the bilateral relationship and agreed to enhance the frequency of bilateral political exchanges to foster understanding between the leadership and eventually the people of both countries, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministers also exchanged views on important developments in the Middle East, South Asia, and the Gulf region, it said, adding that they stressed the importance of finding peaceful solutions through diplomatic means.

The situation in Afghanistan also came under discussion as Qureshi apprised his Egyptian counterpart about the continued humanitarian support by Pakistan to Afghanistan through air and land routes, the statement added.

According to the statement, the foreign minister also stressed the need for sustained engagement with Afghanistan for durable peace and stability in the region.

"The two ministers agreed to remain in close contact to upgrade bilateral cooperation in diverse fields," it added.

Qureshi expressed the hope to receive the Egyptian foreign minister in Pakistan soon for the upcoming session of the Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC), it concluded.
 
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