Four-party meeting supports Afghan peace, reconciliation process: China

BEIJING: A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Monday said that the senior US, Chinese, Russian and Pakistani officials in a meeting held here last week had expressed support for the Afghan reconciliation process, which was broadly inclusive and supported by all relevant parties.

"What I want to say is that the Chinese side and the other three parties all support the Afghan reconciliation process, which is broadly inclusive and supported by the all relevant parties," Geng Shuang said during his regular briefing while responding to a question about the four-party meeting on Afghanistan peace process held in Beijing last week.

He said that it was agreed to strengthen communication and coordination and jointly promote the process of peace, reconstruction and reconciliation in Afghanistan.

To a question about US Special on Afghanistan visit to China last week, he said that Khalilzad attended the third China-Russia-US Tripartite Consultation on Afghanistan and the first four-party conference on Afghanistan.

The Special Envoy for Afghanistan in China and Russia and the Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan attended the above-mentioned consultations and meetings, he added.

The spokesperson said that the parties exchanged views on the current peace talks in Afghanistan, the political settlement of the Afghan issue, and joint efforts to help Afghanistan achieve peace, security and prosperity reached consensus, and issued the "Sino-Russian Joint Statement on the Afghan Issue".

About the next meeting, he said that the all parties agreed to continue to maintain the momentum of the meeting and continue to maintain mutual communication, adding, "The specific time and place of the next meeting will be agreed through diplomatic channels."

On the determination of participant in these meeting, he said that China had been maintaining close communication and coordination with the relevant parties on the Afghan issue, including the Indian side.

"As for the China-Russia-the US Quartet meeting you just mentioned, this is the basis for the Chinese and the participating countries to jointly communicate and reach a consensus," he added.