TASHKENT: Pakistan on Friday joined the United States, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan in creating a new quadripartite consultation forum to support the peace process in Afghanistan.
The decision was reached during a meeting in Tashkent involving Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, his Uzbek and Afghan counterparts Abdulaziz Kamilov and Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar, respectively, as well as US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad.
They emphasised that peace and regional ties are mutually reinforcing, given the importance of regional ties for the development of long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region, the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
They also acknowledged the historic potential to further build effective international trade channels in order to boost trade and strengthen business partnerships, the statement said.
The countries also agreed to meet again in the coming months to deliberate on the terms of this cooperation, according to the statement.
