Islamabad eyes more robust ties with Kabul

KABUL at bilateral and multilateral forums.

“A peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan is in our vital national interest,” Pakistan’s foreign secretary told the Heart of Asia Conference in Almaty.

Leading the Pakistani delegation, Jalil Abbas Jilani reiterated Islamabad’s firm commitment to help steer Afghanistan through the transition period and beyond.

According to a statement from the Foreign Office in Islamabad, Jilani appreciated the Kazakhstan government for hosting the ministerial conference.

Several developments had taken place since the last meeting in Kabul in June, 2012, the foreign secretary said, adding six clusters of confidence-building measures (CBMs) that had been identified were ready for implementation.

It was a manifestation of result-oriented cooperation to promote security and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region, the diplomat observed.

Attaching great importance to the Heart of Asia initiative, Pakistan had joined all the six CBMs, he continued. Pakistan, together with Kazakhstan, has a lead role in the disaster management CBM.

Jilani hoped the CBMs adopted during the Almaty ministerial conference would strengthen concrete cooperation in various fields among the members of the Heart of Asia Process.

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