Khayam Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi received a telephone call from Alexander Schallenberg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, on Thursday.

During the call, the two Foreign Ministers exchanged views on the latest developments in Afghanistan as well as on bilateral relations. Sharing Pakistan’s perspective, the Foreign Minister stressed the importance of peaceful and stable Afghanistan and highlighted the salience of safety and security of Afghans as well as an inclusive political settlement.

The Foreign Minister stressed that there was a historic opportunity for ending 40 years of conflict in Afghanistan. Engagement of the international community with positive messaging and constructive actions was much needed.

The Foreign Minister called for concerted efforts to stabilize the security situation, preserve the peace, and preclude any exodus of Afghans as refugees. Foreign Minister Qureshi underlined the need for international community to show solidarity with the Afghan people to address the humanitarian needs and support economic stability.

The two Foreign Ministers expressed satisfaction over the current level of bilateral engagement and pledged to further establish linkages and deepen cooperation between the two countries in all spheres of mutual interest including trade, economy, higher education, tourism and culture.

The Austrian Foreign Minister thanked Pakistan for its support in facilitating transit of Austrian nationals and others from Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Qureshi invited his Austrian counterpart to visit Pakistan on mutually agreed dates. Foreign Minister Schallenberg accepted the invitation and said that he looked forward to welcoming Foreign Minister Qureshi to Vienna for a bilateral visit.