Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto said on Saturday that peace and stability in Afghanistan was key to socio-economic development and prosperity of the region.
Addressing a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang in Islamabad, Bilawal said Pakistan was determined to work together with all stakeholders, including China, to achieve this goal.
The foreign minister said during talks Pakistan and China were in agreement that peace and stability in Afghanistan was vital for socio-economic development, connectivity and prosperity in the region.
Both sides expressed their resolve to work together with all stakeholders for making Afghanistan a peaceful, stable, united and prosperous country, the foreign minister added.
Earlier addressing a delegation-level meeting with China at the Foreign Office (FO), Bilawal eulogized Beijing’s principled and just stance on Indian-occupied Kashmir (IOK) as well as its firm support for Pakistan’s territorial integrity.
He once again expressed Pakistan’s firm support for China on all its core issues, including One-China policy, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.
The minister underlined strong Pak-China relations. “When it comes to the Pak-China strategic partnership there is absolute unity.”
He assured the Chinese Foreign Minister that the sentiments he shared were a reflection of sentiments of everyone in Pakistan for China and the great Chinese nation.
“China will always find Pakistan as its most reliable partner and trusted friend,” he said. Bilawal said friendship with China was the cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
He asserted that the centrality and criticality of Pakistan’s all-weather partnership with China could not be overstated.
Bilawal expressed Pakistan's firm commitment to further strengthen relations with China and take them into the new era. He said a recent manifestation of Pak-China friendship was the prompt Chinese support and assistance in evacuation of Pakistani nationals from Sudan.
The foreign minister said China-Pakistan Economic Corridor had strategic significance for both the countries and Islamabad was fully committed to timely completion of the corridor project.
Speaking on the occasion, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang invited Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto to visit China. He hoped that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto will visit China soon.
Qin Gang thanked Pakistan for supporting him on important issues and said that the friendship between Pakistan and China was eternal. “China values Pakistan's services in the fight against terrorism. We hope that our friendly relations and negotiations will continue in the future,” he said.
He further said that Foreign Minister Bilawal had informed about the measures for protection of Chinese citizens in Pakistan. The Chinese foreign minister said that mutual flights between Pakistan and China had become normal.
“Both countries are satisfied with progress on CPEC,” he said and added that Chinese market was available for Pakistani products. Speaking about the tripartite talks, the Chinese foreign minister said that he would create a consensus on the issue of Afghanistan among countries of the region.
“Pakistan and China are ready to help in reconstruction of Afghanistan. It is hoped that Afghanistan will take the terror concerns of its neighbors seriously and the tripartite talks will be successful,” he concluded.