Afghanistan says to pursue foreign policy of cooperative dialogue

The foreign minister of Afghanistan's Taliban government, Amir Khan Muttaqi (center) receives a souvenir book during an event held at the Institute of Strategic Studies, in Islamabad on May 8, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

ISLAMABAD – Afghanistan is conveying to the region and beyond that it desires to forge a new foreign policy based on cooperative dialogue and joint interactions, Acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan interim government Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Monday.

"When it comes to the region, our focus is on increasing economic ties with economic connectivity and transit at its core," Muttaqi said while addressing a seminar here at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), an Islamabad-based think tank.

Acting Foreign Minister of the Afghan interim government Amir Khan Muttaqi said the end of the United States' presence in Afghanistan ended the corruption

He said there is significant regional interest in economic connectivity through Afghanistan, particularly connecting Central Asia to South Asia and beyond.

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The acting foreign minister noted that the region is finally able to make its decades-long aspirations of joint economic prosperity a reality not only for Afghanistan but for the entire region.

Highlighting the economic situation of Afghanistan, Muttaqi said that the country has made good progress in agriculture, mineral, health, and other sectors, adding that efforts are now underway to attract domestic and foreign investment as well as create opportunities for the technical class to find employment in Afghanistan.

He further added that the end of the United States' presence in Afghanistan ended the corruption, different militant groups and warring parties that were present in the country.

"We seek good relations with all our neighbors and we will not allow anyone to use the territory of Afghanistan against anyone else, and we will remain committed to this pledge in the future," according to the acting foreign minister.