ISLAMABAD: Troika Plus meeting of special representatives and envoys for Afghanistan from China, Russia, the United States and Pakistan will be held in Islamabad today (Thursday).
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will inaugurate the meeting, according to a press release issued by the Foreign Office. It said that Pakistan attaches high importance to the Troika Plus mechanism on the situation in Afghanistan.
Pakistan hopes that deliberations of the Troika Plus meeting would contribute to the ongoing efforts for achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.
As per MOFA’s statement, special representatives from China, the Russian Federation, the United States and Pakistan will attend the meeting to shed light on the situation in Afghanistan.
The Troika Plus on Afghanistan will be attended by Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq, the State Department’s Special Representative and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan Thomas West, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, and Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong.
Pakistan has still not officially recognised the caretaker government in Afghanistan. However, Qureshi, after his visit to Kabul, told the media that he had invited the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi to Pakistan who accepted his invitation.
Pakistan, China, Russia, and the US have major stakes in bringing peace to Afghanistan. These countries have long been active participants in the Afghan peace talks. The four key players had established the forum named Troika Plus to restore peace in Afghanistan, develop regional consensus on the Afghan issue, and help the war-torn country in addressing its problems.
