NEW YORK – Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Thursday said that theworld should not repeat the mistake of disengaging with Afghanistan.
He expressed these views during a meeting with US Secretary of State AntonyBlinken in New York on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations GeneralAssembly session.
This is the first meeting between the two top diplomats and as the foreignminister’s statement after the meeting showed, it focused on Afghanistan.
Opening his meeting with Blinken, Qureshi said, “We have to find a way ofcollectively working to achieve our common objective, which is peace andstability.”
The foreign minister, according to a press release issued by Pakistan’sforeign office, said at the meeting that close engagement between Pakistanand the United States had always been mutually beneficial and a factor forstability in South Asia.
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He reiterated Pakistan’s desire for a balanced relationship with the UnitedStates that was anchored in trade, investment, energy and regionalconnectivity.
FM Qureshi also reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to facilitating effortsfor an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan.
