ISLAMABAD, 12 July 2021, (TON): Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has left for Tajikistan to attend the meeting of Foreign Ministers’ Council of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe.

During his three-day visit, the foreign minister will also attend the meeting of SCO Foreign Ministers Contact Group for Afghanistan and present Pakistan’s views on the Afghan peace process, the rapidly changing situation in the region and promotion of regional cooperation.

On the sidelines of the meeting, he will meet with foreign ministers of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Russia and China. Issues of mutual interest, including bilateral relations and promotion of regional ties will be discussed in these meetings.

 Shah Mahmood Qureshi will also meet President of Tajikistan Imam Ali Rehman. The foreign minister’s visit is expected to be helpful in promoting the Afghan peace process, adopting a common approach to the law and order situation in the region, and promoting cooperation between SCO member states in multilateral areas.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Qureshi has invited his Afghan counterpart Haneef Atmar for talks in Islamabad as the Taliban make rapid territorial gains and fighting surges across Afghanistan.

Inviting Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar to visit Pakistan, Qureshi said that a negotiated settlement is the best option for lasting peace in Afghanistan.

 In recent weeks, the Taliban have overrun several areas bordering five countries: Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China and Pakistan and captured key border crossings through which Afghanistan conducts most of its trade with Iran and Turkmenistan.

Qureshi said “Pakistan is ready to cooperate for facilitation.”