KABUL - National Security Advisor (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib and his Chinese counterpart Guo Shengkun have conferred on bilateral ties and the Afghan peace process.
At a meeting in Beijing, the two NSAs discussed changing political dynamics in the region, threats to and opportunities for the peace process in Afghanistan.
Both sides discussed various issues, especially counterterrorism, regional cooperation and efforts for an end to the 17-year-old conflict, a statement from the National Security Council said.
Mohib hailed China’s role in the Afghan peace process as decisive and urged Beijing to encourage regional states to work for reconciliation in the war-torn country.
Afghanistan remained committed to eradicating terrorism from the region and wanted other countries to do so, the NSA was quoted as saying
Shengkun reiterated his country’s continued cooperation on Afghan reconciliation and said there were also opportunities in the region for stability.
He added both Afghanistan and China were victims of terrorism and they had common objectives in this regard.
On Friday, Mohib met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. China and Afghanistan share a narrow border and have cooperated on frontier security.
China is also a close ally of Pakistan, accused by Afghanistan and the US of providing safe havens for the Taliban and other groups opposing the government in Kabul.
Wang emphasised the mutual understanding and mutual support the countries have offered each other and China’s backing of efforts to promote domestic peace and political reconciliation in Afghanistan.
“At such an important moment, we know you have been entrusted by President Ashraf Ghani to pay this visit to enhance mutual understanding and coordination. We think this is timely and necessary,” Wang said.
On Wednesday, the Afghan president’s special peace envoy, Mohammad Omer Daudzai, expressed hope that the war that had cost the United States about $1 trillion would end in 2019.
“We have declared 2019 as a year of peace for Afghanistan,” Daudzai said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Washington’s special peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, is also on a tour of the region, visiting India, China, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Taliban have refused direct talks with Kabul despite pressure from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and even Pakistan.
In response, Washington has suspended hundreds of millions of dollars in reimbursements to Pakistan. Islamabad says its influence over the Taliban is overstated. (Pajhwok)