The foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan will meet here for a trilateral meeting on Saturday that aims to forge cooperation on the vexed Afghan issue and also have bilateral interactions with top Pakistani leaders.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office in two separate statements confirmed the visit of Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang and acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to attend the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue, of which Pakistan is a member.

“China’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister H.E. Qin Gang would pay an official visit to Pakistan on May 5 and 6, 2023.

This would be his first official visit to Pakistan since assuming office,” FO said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and State Councillor Qin will co-chair the 4th round of the Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue, which is a structured mechanism that reviews bilateral cooperation in key areas.

The two sides will reaffirm the abiding vitality of the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership; develop a roadmap for multidimensional cooperation between Pakistan and China; and discuss the evolving regional and global landscape.

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The 3rd round of the Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue took place in July 2021 in Chengdu, China.

Separately, FO said that Muttaqi will lead a high-level delegation, including Acting Afghan Minister for Commerce and Industry Haji Nooruddin Azizi, and senior officials
from the Afghan ministries of foreign affairs, transport, and trade.

“The visit of the Acting Afghan Foreign Minister is a continuation of Pakistan’s political engagement process with Afghanistan,” FO said.

During the four-day stay in Pakistan, the Afghan leader would also have bilateral meetings with Pakistan leaders and the two sides would also “review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations in the political, economic, trade, connectivity, peace and security, and education domains”.

The FMS of three nations will attend the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue which will be held on May 6.

The 4th edition of the dialogue was held in China in June 2021 just weeks before the Taliban seized power in Kabul and the three neighbours had agreed to enhance cooperation in multiple fields.

The dialogue was launched in 2017.