China to continue speaking up for Afghanistan's independence, sovereignty, dignity: FM

BEIJING, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that China appreciates Afghanistan's firm support for China to safeguard its core interests, and will as always speak up for the independence, sovereignty and dignity of Afghanistan.

Wang made the remarks during a phone conversation with Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar.

Wang said that the China-Afghanistan strategic cooperative partnership has maintained a momentum of development, their Belt and Road cooperation has made continuous progress, and traditional friendship between the two countries has been enhanced in the joint fight against COVID-19.

China is willing to work with Afghanistan to take the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Good-neighborly Relations between the two countries as an opportunity to deepen their Belt and Road cooperation as well as practical cooperation in various fields, Wang said.

China will continue to provide necessary support for Afghanistan and South Asian countries to fight the pandemic, and is willing to deepen counter-terrorism and security cooperation with Afghanistan and help Afghanistan strengthen its anti-terrorism capacities, he said.

Wang said that China will continue to support the Afghan government in playing a leading role in the country's peace and reconciliation process, and call on all parties to support and implement relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions to promote a smooth transition of the Afghanistan situation, to avoid in particular a resurgence of terrorist forces.

The international community and regional countries should uphold justice and fairness and help the Afghan people maintain and consolidate the fruits of peace and reconstruction in the country, he said.

China supports all parties in Afghanistan to continue to push forward negotiations among the Afghan people themselves and establish a broad and inclusive political framework for the future based on the principles of political settlement, putting peace first and advancing step by step, Wang said.

In this process, all parties should maintain patience and goodwill, strive to stop violence and cease fire, and create a favorable environment for peace talks, he added.

Wang expressed his hope that Afghanistan's future leadership will pursue a moderate Muslim policy, promote a foreign policy of peace, maintain friendship with neighboring countries, and firmly combat all forms of terrorism.

China will continue to play a constructive role in advancing the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, he added.

Atmar, for his part, said that Afghanistan is firmly committed to strengthening its relations with Afghanistan, and hopes to conduct strategic dialogue and communication with China on deepening bilateral pragmatic and anti-terrorism cooperation as well as advancing regional cooperation.

Thanking China for its strong support as well as humanitarian and development assistance to Afghanistan, Atmar said that the Afghan side hopes to work with China to implement the outcomes of the video conference of foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on the pandemic.

The Afghan side highly appreciates China's continuous positive role in supporting the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan, and is willing to cooperate closely with China in bilateral and multilateral coordination to safeguard peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region, Atmar said.