Pak-Japan Agree to Working together on Afghanistan

Islamabad: September 24, 2021-On September 23, commencing at 6:10 p.m. (local time; September 24, 3:10 a.m. PKT) for approximately 20 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, during his visit to the United States of America, held a meeting with H.E. Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Mr. MATSUDA Kuninori, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, stated that the realization of the face-to-face meeting between the two Ministers on the occasion of the UN General Assembly held in New York despite the pandemic, was extremely timely in view of current bilateral relations and regional affairs. He also expressed his appreciation for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan and the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations for its dedications to realizing the meeting. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

Minister MOTEGI expressed his appreciation for Pakistan’s cooperation, including the acceptance of Self-Defense Force aircrafts, that enabled a Japanese national as well as Afghan staff of the Japanese Embassy and JICA office to safely depart from Afghanistan and requested continued support. Minister Qureshi responded that the Government of Pakistan would spare no effort on the evacuation of the above-mentioned persons.

The two Ministers exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan, confirmed their shared goals including on inclusive political process and ensuring human rights to be respected, and also concurred on working together to prevent Afghanistan from reverting to a hotbed of terrorism and from destabilizing the region.

The two Ministers confirmed that they would further develop bilateral relations on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan in 2022.