Pakistani, Afghan officials talk over how to reduce strain

2/23/2023 6:44:38 AM

(MENAFN) Pakistan and Afghanistan held a meeting on Wednesday in Kabul, the Afghan capital, to address the increasing diplomatic and border tensions between the two neighboring countries. The meeting was led by Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, accompanied by Lt. Gen.

Anjum Naveed, the head of the country's premier intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). They met with Afghanistan's acting Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar to discuss "bilateral relations, trade, and economic cooperation," as per the statement from Afghanistan’s Information Ministry.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry tweeted, “A high-ranking delegation led by the Minister for Defense is in Kabul today to meet with officials of the Afghan Interim Government to discuss security-related matters including counter-terrorism measures.”

The visit came after Kabul's unilateral closure of a crucial border crossing between the two countries to protest Islamabad's alleged "mistreatment" of Afghan travelers earlier this week.

The senior security officials from both sides, on the condition of anonymity, informed Anadolu that the meeting mainly focused on security and border-related issues, although the official statement did not mention that.

The meeting aimed to find ways to ease the rising tensions between the two neighboring countries.

The closure of the border crossing has caused problems for traders and travelers on both sides, prompting the need for a resolution to the ongoing dispute.

MENAFN23022023000045012476ID1105626954

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.