Pakistan, China, Afghanistan vow cooperation on security and economy at Kabul meeting
The meeting marked the latest round of talks under the trilateral dialogue mechanism between Afghanistan, China and Pakistan that was launched in 2017 to promote political trust, counterterrorism coordination and economic integration.
Afghanistan's acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, hosted the talks, which also included China's special envoy Yue Xiaoyong.
'The first meeting of the Pakistan-China-Afghanistan trilateral in Kabul today... provided the occasion for convergence of views on economic and security cooperation as well as regional stability,' Sadiq, Pakistan's special representative for Afghanistan, said in a post on social media platform X.
All three sides reviewed progress on commitments made during the last dialogue and agreed to convene the sixth round of foreign ministers' meeting in Kabul at a future date, according to a report published by Afghanistan's Ariana News.
The officials also discussed broader preparations for an upcoming meeting of foreign ministers from Afghanistan's neighboring countries, and reaffirmed their intention to expand political and economic engagement.
Muttaqi highlighted the importance of strengthening bilateral and trilateral ties, while the Chinese and Pakistani envoys reiterated their commitment to good-neighborly relations based on mutual respect and non-interference.
China and Pakistan are among the few countries to maintain ongoing engagement with the Taliban-led government in Kabul, though neither formally recognizes it.
Both Beijing and Islamabad have called for stability in Afghanistan to enable cross-border connectivity and curb the threat of militant spillover.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Afghanistan has its ‘sharpest surge' ever of child malnutrition, UN agency says
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan is seeing its sharpest-ever surge of child malnutrition, the World Food Programme said Monday, adding it needed $539 million to help the country's most vulnerable families. Almost 10 million people, a quarter of Afghanistan's population, face acute food insecurity. One in three children is stunted. The WFP said the rise in child malnutrition was linked to a drop in emergency food assistance over the past two years because of dwindling donor support. In April, the administration of US President Donald Trump cut off food aid to Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries. The US had been the largest funder of the WFP, providing $4.5 billion of the $9.8 billion in donations last year. Previous US administrations viewed such aid as serving national security by alleviating conflict, poverty, extremism and curbing migration. Food insecurity in Afghanistan is being worsened by mass returns from neighboring countries, which are deporting foreigners they say are living there illegally. The WFP said it has supported 60,000 Afghans returning from Iran in the last two months, a fraction of those crossing the border. 'Going forward, the WFP does not have sufficient funding to cover the returnee response at this time and requires $15 million to assist all eligible returnees from Iran,' said WFP Communications Officer Ziauddin Safi. He said the agency needs $539 million through January to help vulnerable families across Afghanistan. Climate change is also hurting the population, especially those in rural areas. Matiullah Khalis, head of the National Environmental Protection Agency, said last week that drought, water shortages, declining arable land, and flash floods were having a 'profound impact' on people's lives and the economy.
Al Arabiya
6 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Afghanistan has its ‘sharpest surge' ever of child malnutrition, UN agency says
Afghanistan is seeing its sharpest-ever surge of child malnutrition, the World Food Program said Monday, adding it needed $539 million to help the country's most vulnerable families. Almost 10 million people, a quarter of Afghanistan's population, face acute food insecurity. One in three children is stunted. The WFP said the rise in child malnutrition was linked to a drop in emergency food assistance over the past two years because of dwindling donor support. In April , the administration of US President Donald Trump cut off food aid to Afghanistan , one of the world's poorest countries. The US had been the largest funder of the WFP, providing $4.5 billion of the $9.8 billion in donations last year. Previous US administrations viewed such aid as serving national security by alleviating conflict, poverty, extremism and curbing migration. Food insecurity in Afghanistan is being worsened by mass returns from neighboring countries, which are deporting foreigners they say are living there illegally. The WFP said it has supported 60,000 Afghans returning from Iran in the last two months, a fraction of those crossing the border. 'Going forward, the WFP does not have sufficient funding to cover the returnee response at this time and requires $15 million to assist all eligible returnees from Iran,' said WFP Communications Officer Ziauddin Safi. He said the agency needs $539 million through January to help vulnerable families across Afghanistan. Climate change is also hurting the population, especially those in rural areas. Matiullah Khalis, head of the National Environmental Protection Agency , said last week that drought, water shortages, declining arable land, and flash floods were having a 'profound impact' on people's lives and the economy.
Asharq Al-Awsat
11 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran's Deputy FM: We Coordinate with China, Russia to Counter Snapback
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi said on Sunday that his country is closely coordinating with China and Russia to respond to the 'snapback' mechanism should the E3 decide to invoke the United Nations sanctions over Tehran's nuclear program before it is set to expire on Oct. 18. According to Committee spokesman Ebrahim Rezaei, Gharibabadi told deputies that the European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal have no legal grounds to invoke the snapback mechanism, as they have failed to fulfill their own commitments under the agreement. Rezaei said the deputy foreign minister presented a detailed report to the Iranian Parliament following talks were held in Istanbul last month with counterparts from the European trio and the EU, addressing prospects for resuming negotiations. The E3 have set a deadline of the end of August to revive diplomacy. Diplomats say they want Iran to take concrete steps to convince them to extend the deadline by up to six months. In this regard, Gharibabadi said the European side proposed extending UN Security Council Resolution 2231 for an additional six months under specific conditions. However, he added, 'We proposed that instead of extending Resolution 2231, negotiations should focus on ending the Snapback mechanism altogether. The resolution must expire at its predetermined date. Decisions will be made based on our national interests and security.' Concerning talks with the US, Gharibabadi said there have been no recent developments. 'The Iranian people's rights—such as uranium enrichment, lifting of sanctions, compensation for damages, and rebuilding trust—must be respected,' he noted. Rezaei said committee members warned against stirring public fear over the Snapback mechanism. 'The West and Europeans are not trustworthy. They've violated their own commitments,' he stated, while stressing Iran should prioritize its internal capabilities and strengthen ties with China and Russia, according to ISNA. Gharibabadi's comments however appeared to contradict remarks made by another deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, who said the IAEA inspectors would return to Tehran soon. Speaking to Chinese broadcaster Phoenix, Khatibzadeh said Parliament's recent decision does not mandate severing ties with the IAEA. Rather, he said, it places the Supreme National Security Council in charge of managing relations. 'We're implementing a new mechanism, but we have no intention of halting cooperation,' the deputy FM said. 'Inspectors left voluntarily amid the conflict and attacks. They were not expelled,' Khatibzadeh said, adding that the inspectors would return to Iran in the coming weeks. Concerning talks with the US, he said, 'We are not in a hurry to enter any indirect talks or frameworks unless solid guarantees are provided for meaningful negotiations.' 'The United States observes no red lines when it comes to attacking peaceful nuclear facilities in other nations. It must be taught a lesson—it cannot recklessly and brutally violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of others,' he added. Khatibzadeh declined to provide specific details when asked about the fate of Iran's 60% enriched uranium stockpile. On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted by a local newspaper responding to the Financial Times on the same matter. When asked about the stockpile's current status, Araghchi said, 'I don't know.'
