Commending Qatar on hosting the US-Taliban talks, Foreign Minister of Pakistan H E Shah Mahmood Qureshi (pictured) has said that Qatar’s contribution towards reaching this stage has been crucial.
In an interview with The Peninsula, H E Shah Mahmood Qureshi who is arriving in Doha today with Prime Minister H E Imran Khan said that Pakistan’s relations with the State of Qatar are time-tested and are getting stronger with the passage of time.
“Our bonds of friendship are connected with common religion, culture and geographical proximity,” he added. H E the Foreign Minister said there exists a great deal of goodwill between the leadership which is the driving force for upward trajectory of our relations.
“Qatar has shown deep interest in investing in various sectors of Pakistan’s economy including aviation, hospitality, energy and petrochemical industries. We are expecting very positive and long lasting outcomes out of this.”
He added that the agreement that was signed in 2016 on workers’ recruitment is being instrumental in increasing Pakistan’s workforce in Qatar. “We are looking at the future of our bilateral relations with hope and positivity.”
To a question on the role and importance of Qatar-Pakistan cooperation and coordination in facilitating the US-Taliban peace deal, H E Shah Mahmood Qureshi said: “I would like to take this opportunity to commend Qatar on hosting the US-Taliban talks. Qatar’s contribution towards reaching this stage has been crucial. Pakistan has fully supported these direct talks since the beginning. We always held that there is no military solution to Afghanistan.” He said that it is a historic opportunity to bring peace to Afghanistan. “All sides have shown great commitment to peace and stability by continuing to participate in the talks. The fact that an agreement has been reached is a mark of the success of these talks.”
To another question, Qureshi said that earlier H E Imran Khan visited Qatar on the invitation of H H the Amir of Qatar in January 2019 which was later reciprocated by H H the Amir in June 2019. “In addition, the two leaders frequently exchanged views on important bilateral and regional developments. These exchanges have brought the two countries closer resulting in increased cooperation in trade, investment and workers’ exports to Qatar.”
