Pakistan, China, Afghanistan trilateral talks on Saturday

ISLAMABAD: The trilateral talks between Pakistan, Afghanistan and China will be held on September 7 (Saturday) in Islamabad to discuss progress thus far made on the Afghan peace process and proposed CPEC expansion to Afghanistan, ARY News reported on Thursday.

Afghan national security advisor, Hamadullah Mohib will now lead Afghanistan’s delegation instead of Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, said sources.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will lead Pakistan’s delegation at the meeting, while Chinese delegation would be led by its Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Sources said China Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) expansion to Afghanistan is part of the agenda to be discussed during the meeting.

The top diplomats from the three countries will also deliberate on the Afghan peace and reconciliation process and progress thus far made in regards to talks with the Taliban.

At a trilateral meeting last year, the foreign ministers of the three countries had reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening their relations, deepening cooperation and advancing connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) and other regional economic initiatives.