Pakistan, Afghanistan to hold bilateral talks

Islamabad, Aug 31 (IANS) Pakistani and Afghan officials will hold talks in Kabul on Monday to review bilateral cooperation in various fields including security and economy, the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said in a statement.

Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood will lead the Pakistani delegation at the second review meeting of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS), while the Afghan side will be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mirwais Nab, Xinhua news agency cited the statement as saying on Sunday.

APAPPS was established in 2018 to provide a comprehensive and structured framework for institutional engagement in diverse areas of bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, said the statement, adding that the first review meeting was held in Islamabad in June 2019.

“The framework comprises five Working Groups focused on Politico-Diplomatic, Military to Military Coordination, Intelligence Cooperation, Economy, and Refugee Issues,” the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry said that during the second meeting, all five working groups under APAPPS will review the implementation status of earlier discussions and decisions, with a view to taking the process forward.

APAPPS provides an important forum to address common challenges and deepen mutual trust and understanding, and effective utilization of the mechanism is pivotal in advancing the shared objectives of peace, stability, prosperity and development, the statement added.

–IANS

ksk/