Senior Civil Representative NATO Stefano Pontecorvo Wednesday called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at General Headquarters (GHQ) and appreciated Pakistan’s role in Afghan situation, including successful evacuation operations and efforts for regional stability.
During the meeting, the matters related to mutual interest, peace and stability in the region and Afghanistan situation were discussed, said an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release.
Speaking on the occasion, the COAS said that there was a need for global convergence on Afghanistan to avoid humanitarian crisis. He also assured to enhance cooperation with Pakistan on Afghanistan and regular engagement by the NATO countries for all bilateral issues.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood stressed that the international community must remain positively engaged with Afghanistan to avoid humanitarian crisis and preclude mass exodus.
The foreign secretary expressed these views as he received NATO delegation led by Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo, Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan.
The foreign secretary shared Pakistan’s perspective on the latest developments in the region and stressed the importance of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. He also highlighted Pakistan’s facilitative role in the evacuation of the diplomatic personnel and staff of the embassies and international organizations from Afghanistan.
Ambassador Pontecorvo thanked the Government of Pakistan for the assistance extended to the NATO allies in their evacuation endeavors. The visit of the NATO delegation is part of the outreach to Pakistan. Pakistan values its relations with NATO, which are based on shared interests of peace and stability in the region.
Separately, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq Wednesday said peace in Afghanistan will benefit the entire region in terms of stability, secure borders, enhanced connectivity, return of refugees and countering of terrorism.
He was speaking at the third meeting of the Moscow Format held in Moscow. The meeting was hosted by Russia and attended by China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and a high-level Afghan delegation.
In his statement, the Special Representative thanked Russia for hosting the third round of the meeting. He conveyed that Pakistan’s constructive role in the Afghan peace process was well-recognized and acknowledged by the international community.
He emphasized that there was urgent need to extend humanitarian support to Afghanistan for which international community must step up its efforts. Ambassador Sadiq underscored the importance of aid and economic assistance to avert humanitarian and financial crisis in the war torn country.
Special Representative reiterated Pakistan’s firm belief that peace went hand in hand with prosperity and economic stability.
He emphasized that after all these years, the people of Afghanistan need and deserve peace, progress and prosperity and the international community must generously help them to walk on that path.
