Pakistan on Friday welcomed the announcement by the United States and the Taliban to sign a peace agreement on February 29 following a seven-day period of a reduction in violence that begins on Saturday night at midnight. The statement said that Pakistan has always supported such negotiations.
“Pakistan welcomes the announcement regarding the US-Taliban agreement. Pakistan has consistently supported direct negotiations between the US and Taliban. From the outset, Pakistan has facilitated this process and contributed to its progress thus far. We look forward to the signing of the agreement on 29 February 2020,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday.
The statement notes that Pakistan believes the signing of the US-Taliban agreement will pave the way for the next step of intra-Afghan negotiations.
“We hope the Afghan parties would now seize this historic opportunity and work out a comprehensive and inclusive political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region,” reads the statement.
“We are also looking forward to the international community playing its part in reinforcing the efforts for the establishment of sustainable peace in Afghanistan and helping to create conditions inside Afghanistan to enable the return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan to their homeland with dignity and honor,” the statement concludes.
