The United Nations, China and China have welcomed the ceasefire announced by Afghanistan and Pakistan, hoping the two countries would resolve their outstanding issues through diplomatic means, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Tuesday.
UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric in a regular briefing in New York said that the ceasefire will hold and that all of the outstanding issues will be dealt diplomatically.
“We hope that the ceasefire will hold and that all of the outstanding issues will be dealt diplomatically,” UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in response to a question at the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York on Monday.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun during his regular briefing in Beijing said Pakistan and Afghanistan are China's traditional friendly neighbours.
He expressed the hope that the two countries will continue to properly handle their differences through dialogue and consultation.
Russia has also welcomed the ceasefire, saying the agreement brokered by Qatar and Turkey is a welcome sign.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova remarked “The resolve expressed by Islamabad and Kabul to hold talks will provide the basis for establishing peace.”
“The resolve to settle the differences through political and diplomatic channels is praiseworthy,” Maria said.
Russia, she said, urged both Pakistan and Afghanistan to expand their cooperation to counter the menace of terrorism.
Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire during talks in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, after a week of fierce border fighting, the worst between the two neighbours since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
The ceasefire “has been finalised”, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif posted on X on Sunday, saying both sides would meet again on October 25 in Istanbul to discuss “detailed matters”.
Reporter Anwer Abbas/Agencies