Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan FMs to discuss Afghan peace process

Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Turkey, and Pakistan will hold a trilateral meeting to discuss the Afghan peace process in Istanbul on Friday.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar will discuss the latest development in the peace process with his Pakistani and Turkish counterparts, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Mevlut Cavusoglu.

The Ministry said that the Trilateral Meeting would play a “significant role” in the successful planning and convening of the Istanbul Peace Conference, which was postponed from April 24 to May 4.

The Istanbul Conference was postponed after the Taliban stated that they would not attend any peace conference until all foreign troops had withdrawn from the country.

Their announcement followed closely on the heels of US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s announcement that all foreign troops would be out of Afghanistan by September 11.

The Taliban said however this was in contravention of the US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha last year which stipulated foreign troops need to leave by May 1.

The Foreign Minister stated that the resumption of negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the Taliban will be discussed during the Afghanistan-Turkey-Pakistan Trilateral Meeting.

“All sides agreed to follow the agenda as planned, covering the progress of the Afghan peace process, resuming Afghanistan Peace Negotiations, strengthening regional consensus in support of peace, and consolidating trilateral relations,” the Ministry stated.

Meanwhile, Turkey Foreign Ministry said that the top diplomats will discuss the Afghan Peace Process, cooperation in the fields of security, energy, connectivity, and irregular migration during the session.