By Xiuhao Chen, Ethan Wang and Liz Lee
BEIJING (Reuters) -Pakistan and Afghanistan plan to upgrade their diplomatic ties, China said on Wednesday after hosting an informal meeting between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban administration following several outbreaks of violence.
The neighbours agreed in principle to send ambassadors to each other’s country as soon as possible, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after his talks with Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
The two countries “clearly expressed” willingness to upgrade the level of their diplomatic relations, Wang said according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
“China welcomes this and is willing to continue providing assistance for the improvement of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations,” he said.
In December, the Afghan Taliban said bombardment by Pakistani military aircraft in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province had killed at least 46 people, most of whom were children and women.
Pakistan has not confirmed the strikes but has said that it is carrying out “anti-terrorist operations” against Islamist militants it blames for attacks in Pakistan and who it says have safe havens in Afghanistan, a charge that Kabul denies.
In a statement on Wednesday, Pakistan’s foreign office said it “welcomed positive momentum in bilateral ties, including enhanced diplomatic engagement, trade, and transit facilitation.”
Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister “emphasized the importance of political and economic relations with both countries and expressed hope for further progress in these areas in the future.”
Tensions appeared to ease after a rare meeting between Muttaqi and Dar in Kabul last month where the Taliban’s acting foreign minister expressed concern over the deportation of tens of thousands of Afghans from Pakistan.
Wednesday’s meeting in Beijing signalled a further thaw, with all agreeing to a trilateral foreign ministers’ dialogue in Kabul as soon as possible.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have embassies in each other’s capitals but they are led by charge d’affaires, not ambassadors. China was the first country to accept an ambassador from the Taliban-run administration in Kabul though it does not formally recognise its government. Several other states, including the UAE, followed.
During the talks, China and Pakistan voiced support for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan, and are willing to expand trade exchanges with Afghanistan, said Wang.
The meeting also agreed on security cooperation, combating terrorist forces and safeguarding regional peace and stability, he said.
Wang and Muttaqi also met separately on Wednesday to discuss their bilateral relations.
(Reporting by Xiuhao Chen, Ethan Wang and Liz Lee; additional reporting by Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Philippa Fletcher)
