UPDATE - Afghan president, Pakistan PM discuss bilateral ties

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, REVISED DECK; EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to open a “new chapter of friendship and cooperation” for advancing the cause of peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

The agreement was reached during a one-on-one meeting between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who landed in Islamabad on a two-day visit on Thursday, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, followed by delegation level talks between the two sides, said a statement from the Prime Minister House.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Ashraf Ghani (have) agreed to open a new chapter of friendship and cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, based on mutual trust and harmony for the benefit of the two peoples and countries and for advancing the cause of peace, stability and prosperity in the region”, the statement said.

The two leaders agreed on the importance of crafting a forward-looking vision of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, the statement said, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to support the Afghan peace process as a shared responsibility.

He noted that an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process was the only viable option to end decades-long conflict in Afghanistan. In this regard, he said, Pakistan supported a result-oriented intra-Afghan dialogue.

The two leaders agreed that enduring peace in Afghanistan would bring rich economic dividends to both the countries.

“They reaffirmed their commitment to work together to broaden and deepen bilateral trade, streamline transit trade, and strengthen efforts for connectivity,” the statement said.

“It was recognized that early completion of major energy connectivity projects such as Central Asia-South Asia (CASA 1000) electricity transmission line and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline will bring long-term economic benefits to the countries involved,” it added.

- Transit, bilateral trade

It was also agreed to optimally utilize the existing mechanisms -- including Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Coordination Authority (APTTCA) and Joint Economic Commission (JEC) -- to remove difficulties in transit and bilateral trade and to explore new possibilities of mutually-beneficial economic and commercial relations.

The Afghan president's visit -- third since 2014 -- came days after Islamabad hosted several Afghan leaders at tourist destination Bhurban to discuss ways to end the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, which has entered its 18th year.

Prior to his meeting with Khan, Ghani met with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi at the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad and discussed the Afghan peace process.

Afghan leader "appreciated Pakistan's efforts for peace process in Afghanistan," according to Pakistan’s Information Ministry.

"He [Ghani] was talking to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad. Foreign Minister said #Pakistan will continue playing its role for the peace in Afghanistan with good intentions," the ministry said in another tweet.

The Afghan president will also meet his Pakistani counterpart Arif Alvi.

Following his meetings in Islamabad, Ghani will travel to Lahore to participate in a business forum attended by business representatives from both countries.

He had earlier undertaken a bilateral visit to Pakistan in November 2014 and subsequently came to attend a ministerial conference of Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process in Islamabad in December 2015.