ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg on Thursday exchanged views on the latest developments in Afghanistan and bilateral relations.
During the telephonic conversation, the Austrian Foreign Minister thanked Pakistan for its support in facilitating transit of Austrian nationals and others from Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister Qureshi shared Pakistani’s perspective and stressed the importance of peaceful and stable Afghanistan and highlighted the salience of safety and security of Afghans as well as an inclusive political settlement.
He stressed that there was a historic opportunity for ending 40 years of conflict in Afghanistan. Engagement of the international community with positive messaging and constructive actions was much needed, he added.
The foreign minister called for concerted efforts to stabilize the security situation, preserve the peace, and preclude any exodus of Afghans as refugees a press release issued here by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
He underlined the need for the international community to show solidarity with the Afghan people to address the humanitarian needs and support economic stability.
Both leaders expressed satisfaction over the current level of bilateral engagement and pledged to further establish linkages and deepen cooperation between the two countries in all spheres of mutual interest including trade, economy, higher education, tourism and culture.
Foreign Minister Qureshi invited his Austrian counterpart to visit Pakistan on mutually agreed dates. Foreign Minister Schallenberg accepted the invitation and said that he looked forward to welcoming Qureshi to Vienna for a bilateral visit.
