Islamabad:
Pakistan, China, Iran and Russia expressed “deep concern” on Friday about the presence of terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan, warned that outfits such as ISIL, Al-Qaeda, the forbidden Tehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army (Bla) and others continue to threaten regional and global security.
The four countries issued a joint declaration after their fourth quadrilateral meeting on Afghanistan, held on the sidelines of the 80. The United Nations General Assembly Session in New York. The collection, called to invitation from Russia, gathered foreign ministers in the four states to undergo the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.
According to the statement, the Ministers called on the Afghan authorities to take “effective, concrete and verifiable actions” against terrorist decorations, including dismantling their training camps, cut off financing and prevent recruitment and access to weapons. They also called for non-discriminatory elimination of all militant clothing and emphasized that Afghan Earth must not be used against its neighbors or more.
Pakistan in particular has repeatedly raised alarms over cross -border attacks by TTP and other terrorist groups operating from Afghan Earth. Islamabad has called on the Taliban authorities to take “verifiable action” against such clothes and warned that failure to do so undermining regional stability.
Similarly, Iran has accused Afghan-based groups such as Jaish Ul-Adl for staging attacks across its border, while China fears the presence of the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) as it sees as a threat to its Western Xinjiang region. Russia also remains concerned about militant networks expanding their reach to Central Asia.
The four sides also emphasized support for Afghanistan as an “independent, united and peaceful state, free of terrorism, war and drugs.” The acclaimed Kabul’s efforts to reduce opium cultivation, but raised alarms over the rising production of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine, which called for coordinated regional and international action to combat drug trafficking.
At refugees, the ministers called on the Taliban authorities to create conditions for the safe and sustainable return on millions of Afghans displaced abroad. They praised Pakistan and Iran for hosting major refugee population and pushing the international community to bear its responsibilities through sustained financial and technical support.
The statement repeated calls for an inclusive political setup in Afghanistan, representing all ethnic and religious groups, while emphasizing the importance of women and girls’ access to education, employment, public life and basic services.
The four countries also said NATO states must bear “primarily responsibility” for Afghanistan’s current situation, and called them to return frozen Afghan assets and lift unilateral sanctions. They rejected restoration of foreign military bases in or around Afghanistan, warning such movements would undermine regional stability.
Foreign Ministers welcomed further ongoing regional initiatives, including the Moscow format and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s commitment to Afghanistan, promising to continue square consultations.
