Pakistan and Afghanistan plan to upgrade their diplomatic ties, China said on Wednesday after hosting an informal meeting between Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
Muttaqi and Dar agreed in principle to send ambassadors to each other’s country as soon as possible, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after the meeting.
According to a statement issued by China’s foreign ministry, Wang said the two countries “clearly expressed” willingness to upgrade the level of their diplomatic relations.
“China welcomes this and is willing to continue providing assistance for the improvement of Afghanistan-Pakistan relations,” he said.
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 Islamic Emirate’s acting foreign minister expressed concern over the deportation of tens of thousands of Afghans from Pakistan, Reuters reported.
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 Islamic Emirate-run administration in Kabul though it does not formally recognise the government.
Wang and Muttaqi also met separately on Wednesday to discuss their bilateral relations.
