Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed not to escalate their conflict and to “explore a comprehensive solution” after several weeks of cross-border fighting that has killed hundreds of people, China’s government said Wednesday after mediating talks.
All the parties also agreed to keep the dialogue after seven days of peace talks mediated by China in the western Chinese city of Urumqi under China mediation, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.
“The three parties agreed to explore a comprehensive solution to the issues in the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, and clarified the core and priority issues that need to be addressed,” Mao said during the daily briefing in Beijing.
She said that they acknowledged that “terrorism is the core issue affecting the relationship.”
Afghanistan and Pakistan said that they won’t “take actions that would escalate or complicate the situation.”
There was no comment from Islamabad about the weeklong talks.
But Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, said on Wednesday that the talks between the Afghan and Pakistani delegations, hosted and mediated by China in Urumqi, have concluded.
In a post on X, he said that the talks were held in a “constructive atmosphere,” with discussions focusing on bilateral relations, security issues and regional stability. Balkhi thanked Beijing for hosting the talks and expressed hope that the process would help strengthen trust, deepen relations and promote effective cooperation in the region.
The talks began last week in Urumqi at the invitation of China, in an effort to stop the conflict that began between the two countries in February.
Pakistan, which declared it was in “open war” with its neighbor, has also carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan, including in the capital Kabul.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the talks had been constructive.
