*ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday PrimeMinister Imran Khan will soon hold a meeting with Russian PresidentVladimir Putin.*
Speaking to the media here, he said reports about a bilateral meetingbetween the prime minister and Russian president on the sidelines of therecently concluded Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China are incorrect.
He said no meeting was scheduled between PM Khan and President Putin.
“Prime Minister Imran Khan will soon meet Russia’s president,” the foreignminister said and refused to disclose the date of their meeting. “I won’ttell the date. Whenever the meeting will take place, it will come to light.”
Addressing the Track II dialogue organised by the Regional Peace Instituteearlier today, the foreign minister said peace in Afghanistan holds a keyposition in Pakistan’s foreign policy.
He said Pakistan backs and facilitates the Afghan reconciliation process,adding the country earnestly assisted in bringing the US and Taliban todialogue table to bring an end to the decade-long war in Afghanistan.
Lauding the Track II initiative, FM Qureshi said it affords the governmentsof Pakistan and Afghanistan an opportunity to come to closer to resolvetheir differences.
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Stressing the need for the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned dialogue process, hesaid it is the only Afghan people who can bring peace to their country.“Afghan people will have to decide their future themselves.”
The foreign minister said he had toured the war-ravaged country four timessince the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government came to power last yearin August, which shows the incumbent government’s seriousness to find asolution to the Afghan imbroglio.
He emphasised the need for the Track II dialogue between the twoneighbouring countries to improve bilateral ties between them.
“Better ties with Afghanistan are the government’s priority,” he said.“Pakistan and Afghanistan have shared future.”
