Pakistan has assured the US that it would remain a reliable partner for peace in Afghanistan as there was a fundamental convergence between the two countries on the need for a peaceful settlement in the war-torn country.

According to the Pakistan Foreign Office, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken by telephone and discussed bilateral relations and important developments in the region, including the situation in Afghanistan and efforts for a political settlement there.

“The foreign minister and the Secretary of State stressed the need for the two sides to continue close coordination and cooperation to ensure meaningful progress in the peace process,” the Foreign Office statement said. “The two sides also exchanged views on regional connectivity and other key issues,” it added.

During the telephone call, initiated by Blinken, Qureshi highlighted the steps Pakistan had taken in support of the Afghan peace process, stressing that there was a fundamental convergence between Pakistan and the United States on the need for a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan.

“For its part, Pakistan will remain a reliable partner for peace in Afghanistan,” the Foreign Office quoted Qureshi as telling Blinken. He underscored that securing peace in Afghanistan was a shared responsibility of all stakeholders inside Afghanistan as well as key regional and international players.

The foreign minister emphasized that all the relevant stakeholders needed to press all Afghan parties to engage constructively towards achieving an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.

With the civil war in Afghanistan intensifying in the backdrop of the US and its North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) allies continuing to withdraw their troops from the mountainous country,  Pakistan has been seeking an important role for itself in the complicated situation while striving to keep India out of any peace process.

The other day its Ambassador to the US Asad Majeed Khan emphasized the need for greater cooperation among Afghanistan’s neighbors, particularly Pakistan, China and Iran, with the US playing a major role as a country that has been directly involved in the Afghan conflict for the last 20 years.

On the bilateral relations, Qureshi reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to forging a “broad-based, long-term and sustainable relationship with the United States that was anchored in deep economic cooperation, regional connectivity and peace in the region”.

Meanwhile, Blinken also confirmed the development in a tweet saying he spoke over the phone with FM Qureshi “to underscore our desire for a stable and sustainable bilateral relationship”.

(SAM)