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US, China, and Russia underscored their respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan.
AT News Report
KABUL: Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation met with representatives of China and Russia in Washington to discuss Afghan peace push.
“Met my counterparts from Russia and China, and then the EU. We respect Afghan sovereignty, want peace for all Afghans and seek and Afghanistan that is never a source of threat for any of us,” Khalilzad said in a tweet message.
Moreover, the Department of State in a statement said, “representatives of the United States, China, and Russia met in Washington, D.C., March 21-22, 2019. The parties exchanged views on the current status of the Afghan peace process and discussed common efforts to bring peace, prosperity, and security to Afghanistan.”
They underscored their respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, as well as Afghanistan’s right to make its own political, security, and economic decisions, the statement added.
“The United States, China, and Russia agreed to continue further discussions. The exact date and venue for the next meeting will be decided through diplomatic channels. The parties will continue to seek common efforts and coordination on the Afghan peace process,” the statement said.
Furthermore, in a separate statement the State Department said Ambassador Khalilzad also met with EU representative Roland Kobia to discuss Afghan peace process.
“They agreed that bringing an end to Afghanistan’s war and achieving peace must be the key objective, and that violence should cease. To benefit all Afghans, the region, and the world, they further underscored that any peace agreement should uphold the rights of all Afghans, in particular those of women, minorities, and children, and ensure Afghan soil is not used by international terrorist groups or individuals against any country,” the statement added.
Both sides underscored their respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan.
“The United States and the European Union will continue their close coordination. They encourage all countries to support the current peace process, inclusive intra-Afghan talks, and lasting development and reconstruction in Afghanistan.”
Regional consensus on Afghan peace have been escalated after Khalilzad recently concluded his fifth round of talks with Taliban Qatar-based negotiating members, where they talked over four points, and greed upon two—not using Afghan soil against any country, and troop’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. The rest two was counterterrorism efforts, and intra-Afghan talks.
