Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will depart on Monday for Tajikistan to attend the 9th Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) Ministerial Conference.

The theme of the conference in Tajikistan is “Strengthening Consensus for Peace and Development”. The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process, initiated in 2011, is an important platform to promote peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan through regional cooperation, confidence-building measures (CBMs), and dialogue.

Ahead of this visit, the FM told DAWN that 'no meeting has been finalised or requested' with the Indian FM. The last meeting between Qureshi and an Indian external affairs minister took place in May 2019 in Bishkek on the sidelines of the SCO meeting.

In a press release, the Foreign Office (FO) said that in the ministerial conference, the FM will deliver a statement highlighting Pakistan’s positive contributions to the Afghan peace process and its support for Afghanistan’s development and connectivity within the regional framework. He will also hold consultations with key regional and international partners on the sidelines of the conference.

FM Qureshi will hold talks with Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin and will have interaction with other Tajik dignitaries and review the entire gamut of bilateral relations. The FO said Pakistan’s relations with Tajikistan are firmly rooted in common faith, shared history, and geographic proximity.

"The Foreign Minister’s visit to Tajikistan will help deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse fields and reinforce the growing partnership between the two brotherly countries," FO statement said.