Khalilzad welcomes Pakistan's efforts: US Embassy

United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad welcomed Pakistan's ongoing efforts to support a reduction in violence and a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Afghanistan, the US Embassy said here on Saturday.

In a statement, the embassy said that Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation visited Islamabad on January 31, 2020. In his meetings with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and other government officials, Ambassador Khalilzad discussed the US efforts to facilitate a political settlement to end the war in Afghanistan, it stated.

"He [Khalilzad] welcomed Pakistan's ongoing efforts to support a reduction in violence that will pave the way for a US-Taliban agreement, intra-Afghan negotiations, and a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in support of a sustainable peace," the embassy said. Ambassador Khalilzad also continued to emphasize the economic and security benefits that a lasting peace can bring to the region, it added.