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ISLAMABAD – The Troika Plus Thursday urged the United Nations and its specialised agencies to develop special programmes to implement the international community’s commitments to support the people of Afghanistan.
In its joint statement issued on Thursday, Pakistan, China, Russia and the United States also called on international community to take concrete actions to provide Afghanistan with help against COVID-19. They welcomed Afghan Taliban’s efforts to ensure free travelling to and from the war-torn country.
Islamabad hosted a meeting of the extended Troika, comprising Pakistan, China, Russia and the United States to discuss the latest situation in Afghanistan. The extended Troika met with senior Taliban representatives on the sidelines of the meeting.
In the spirit of the discussion, as well as building on previous outcomes of Troika and extended Troika meetings, the four participating countries expressed deep concern regarding the severe humanitarian and economic situation in Afghanistan and reiterated unwavering support for the people of Afghanistan.
They recalled the relevant Afghan – related UNSC Resolutions, including respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan that is free of terrorism and drug related crime, and that contributes to regional stability and connectivity.
The four countries welcomed the Taliban’s continued commitment to allow for the safe passage of all who wish to travel to and from Afghanistan and encouraged rapid progress, with the onset of winter, on arrangements to establish airports countrywide that can accept commercial air traffic, which are essential to enable the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian assistance.
In a joint statement, they called upon the Taliban to work with fellow Afghans to take steps to form an inclusive and representative government that respects the rights of all Afghans and provides for the equal rights of women and girls to participate in all aspects of Afghan society.
They agreed to continue practical engagement with the Taliban to encourage the implementation of moderate and prudent policies that can help achieve a stable and prosperous Afghanistan as soon as possible. They emphasised that access to education for women and girls at all levels is an international obligation and encouraged the Taliban to accelerate efforts to provide for full and equal access to education countrywide. They welcomed the international community’s urgent provision of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and expressed grave concern at the potential for an economic collapse and significantly worsening humanitarian crisis and a new refugee wave.
They urged the United Nations and its specialized agencies to develop programs to implement the international community’s commitments to support the people of Afghanistan.
The group condemned in the strongest terms the recent terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and called on the Taliban to cut ties with all international terrorist groups, dismantle and eliminate them in a decisive manner, and to deny space to any terrorist organization operating inside the country.
They reaffirmed their expectation that the Taliban will fulfil their commitment to prevent use of Afghan territory by terrorists against its neighbours, other countries in the region and the rest of the world.
The four countries called on the Taliban to take a friendly approach towards neighbouring countries and to uphold Afghanistan’s international legal obligations, including universally accepted principles of international law and fundamental human rights and to protect the safety and legitimate rights of foreign nationals and institutions in Afghanistan.
Earlier, in his address during the new conference, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said to avert economic collapse and civil war in Afghanistan, it was crucial for the international community to ‘avoid repeating mistakes of the past’ and pursue a positive engagement.
The foreign minister said the engagement with Afghanistan was important as nobody wished to see a relapse into civil war and an economic collapse to spur instability.
Qureshi expressed confidence that Troika Plus’s engagement with the new Afghan government would help consolidate peace and stability, promote sustainable economic development and help constrict space for terrorist outfits operating from and within Afghanistan.
The foreign minister said enabling Afghanistan to access its frozen funds would dovetail into the efforts to regenerate economic activities and move the Afghan economy towards stability and sustainability.
He mentioned that Pakistan had already taken a number of steps to facilitate the common man in Afghanistan. These include waiver of custom duties on perishable food items to support farmers in Afghanistan, provision of humanitarian assistance, facilitating pedestrian movement, keeping the border open during COVID-19 and visa on arrival for medical cases.