Afghan ties with Pakistan, other countries need to be further improved: China

BEIJING: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday stressed a need to improve international ties between Afghanistan and neighbouring countries and said that Afghanistan’s relations with Pakistan and other countries needed to be further improved.

Addressing a news briefing on the sidelines of the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) held here he said that China would keep playing a positive and constructive role in facilitating peace and economic development in Afghanistan. He said that Afghanistan had been warmly regarded as the heart of Asia. He said, “It had a significant impact on regional peace and stability.”

Referring to the recent peace agreement in Afghanistan, he said that the fast moving events in recent months had taken the country closer to peace than ever, adding,

“But the road ahead is far from smooth. We welcome President Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah agreement to form a unity government and look forward to its normal functioning as early as possible.”

The Chinese foreign minister called on all factions to immediately cease hostility and reach an early agreement on the arrangements for intra Afghan talks.

About the peace and reconciliation process, he said that China viewed that the process should be Afghan-led and it must be left to the people of Afghanistan to decide the future of the country and grasp the nation’s destiny in their hands.

Wang hoped the country could return to normality after the signing of the peace deal between the US and the Taliban in February and said the US side should withdraw its military responsibly to avoid damaging the interests of Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

There is also a need for stronger counter-terrorism efforts in the region, and to improve international ties between Afghanistan with neighbouring countries, so more support and collaborations can be mustered to facilitate Afghanistan's peace-building process, he added.