Islamabad: Pakistan and Germany are closely coordinating on Afghanistan to ensure peace and stability in the region following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan, ending 20 years of war.
“A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is of vital importance for Pakistan” which as the immediate neighbour has suffered for 40 years from conflict and instability next door,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said after meeting his German counterpart in islamabad. They also discussed bilateral ties but the meeting was focused on the latest developments in Afghanistan.
Speaking at a joint news conference on Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said “Germany stands ready to support the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan” experiencing the direct impact of the chaotic situation, adding that “Germany will not abandon them.”
The German government has offered “100 million euros in humanitarian assistance [for Afghanistan] and another 500 million euros have also been pledged for various projects in neighbouring countries of Afghanistan” for projects such as border management and prevention of extremism, Maas shared. The assistance would help the regional countries including Pakistan cope with the humanitarian and economic fallout as Maas earlier said that: “It is in our own interests to ensure that the collapse in Afghanistan does not destabilise the entire region.”
Later in the evening, the German foreign minister held a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan who stressed both Pakistan and Germany should work closely for the promotion of shared interests for regional peace and stability. He emphasized the need for “urgent steps to stabilize the security situation, address humanitarian needs, and ensure economic stability in Afghanistan.”
German foreign minister arrived in Pakistan on August 31 as part of his four-day visit to five countries involved in ongoing efforts for peace in Afghanistan. His first stop was Turkey and he will visit Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Qatar after Pakistan trip.
In Islamabad, FM Maas thanked the Pakistani government for their efforts in ensuring safe evacuation of German nationals, local staff and vulnerable Afghans through an air bridge between Islamabad and Kabul. The coordination will continue to evacuate the remaining German citizens from Afghanistan, he said.
This was the third meeting between the Pakistani and German foreign ministers this year, reflecting a “mutual resolve to deepen consultations on regional peace” and to strengthen bilateral ties. Both ministers strongly condemned the terrorist attack at Kabul airport by ISIS-K.
The talks prioritised the need to “create an environment within Afghanistan” with the assistance of the international community “so that there is no need for refugees” or mass exodus. FM Qureshi said that “Engagement [with the new Afghanistan government] would be in the larger interest of the region and global community” as “abandonment is not an option and it will have consequences just as it had in the past and we have all suffered” from that.
Sharing Pakistan’s perspective, FM Qureshi said “This is a pivotal moment in Afghanistan’s history. The international community must remain engaged. Humanitarian assistance must flow” to not allow economic collapse as “vacuum and instability in Afghanistan is nobody’s interest.
Pakistan supports a politically inclusive, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours, he said. Responding to a question, Qureshi said that “Pakistan has facilitated Afghans in every possible way” during the ongoing crisis “despite the challenging security and pandemic situation. We kept our borders open for people with documents, trade also continued.”
Pakistan has been leading humanitarian efforts and facilitated the evacuation of over 10,000 people from Afghanistan during the last two weeks. Pakistan sent first aid flight carrying WHO medical supplies to Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan.
