The foreign ministers of Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan Friday called on the Afghan Taliban to reaffirm their commitment to achieving a negotiated settlement for lasting peace in Afghanistan.

In a joint statement issued after talks in Istanbul, the three ministers underlined “the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire” to end the violence and “provide a conducive atmosphere” for peace talks.

The foreign ministers of Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan discussed the planned conference, aimed at fast-tracking an agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban following Washington's announcement that foreign troops will leave Afghanistan by September 11.

The ministers “called on all parties, in particular the Taliban, to reaffirm their commitment for achieving an inclusive negotiated settlement leading to lasting peace in Afghanistan desired by the Afghan people, the region and the international community”, according to the joint statement.

On the occasion of the Trilateral Meeting, the three Foreign Ministers reiterated their commitment to support a peaceful, sovereign, independent, democratic and unified Afghanistan, Recognized that sustainable peace can be achieved only through an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political process that aims a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire along with an inclusive political settlement to end the conflict in Afghanistan.

They emphasized their support for the Afghanistan Peace Process and the ongoing Afghanistan Peace Negotiations in Doha for the achievement of a just and durable political settlement.

The meeting recognized the efforts of Turkey, Qatar and the UN to hold a high-level meeting in İstanbul aimed at giving momentum to the ongoing Afghanistan Peace Negotiations.

The ministers recalled that the Istanbul Conference had been postponed after extensive discussions with all relevant parties with a view to holding the Conference when conditions for making meaningful progress would be more favourable, therefore called on all parties, in particular, the Taliban to reaffirm their commitment for achieving an inclusive negotiated settlement leading to lasting peace in Afghanistan desired by the Afghan people, the region and the international community.

They deplored the continuing high level of violence in Afghanistan, especially regretted the high number of civilian casualties and particularly condemned attacks targeting civil service employees, civil society activists, human rights defenders, journalists and media workers and emphasized the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire both to end the existing high level of violence and to provide a conducive atmosphere for the peace talks.

The meeting recognized the importance of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) as a substantial platform that contributes to regional stability in fields ranging from political and security cooperation to economic integration and reiterated their common resolve to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

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They acknowledged the role of the regional and neighbouring countries, in particular, Pakistan and Iran in hosting Afghan refugees for more than four decades and called for creating conducive conditions in Afghanistan for their voluntary, safe, dignified, expeditious and sustainable repatriation through a well-resourced plan.

The foreign ministers also urged the international community to continue to assist host countries in taking care of the essential needs of Afghan refugees and to provide support to the repatriation and reintegration efforts of the Government of Afghanistan.

They expressed their determination to enhance cooperation on regional connectivity in transport, trade, energy, people-to-people contacts, education, social and cultural exchange, tourism, Discussed the far-reaching implications of the COVID 19 pandemic on economic growth and public health, agreed to exchange information, research, expertise and best practices, and called for enhanced international cooperation and solidarity to effectively address the challenge, keeping in view financial and capacity limitations of developing countries.

Recognizing the contribution of the Trilateral Summit Process to regional dialogue and cooperation, they agreed on planning for the revitalization of the said Process in order to deepen bilateral as well as trilateral cooperation among the three countries to address common security threats and work on existing regional economic opportunities.