Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasnim Aslam stated that there will be no reconciliation talks involving Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Taliban movement unless initiated by Afghanistan.MOSCOW, January 15 (Sputnik), Svetlana AlexandrovaThere will be no reconciliation talks involving Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Taliban movement unless initiated byAfghanistan, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told Sputnik.
"There won't be any negotiations betweenPakistan, Afghanistan and Taliban representatives. We have long held this position that Afghanistan reconciliation process has tobe Afghan led and Afghan owned. It is forAfghanistan todecide withwhom it wants totalk and when," said the spokesperson, who is also Pakistan's deputy foreign minister.
She added that Pakistan was ready toprovide assistance toAfghanistan if the country requested it, butAfghan authorities would have tochoose when and how totalk tothe Taliban.
Aslam mentioned that Pakistan welcomed China's offer toact asa mediator inany reconciliation talks.
"We welcomed China's increased interest instabilizing Afghanistan China wants toplay the positive and active role inAfghanistan which we welcome asa neighbor," the spokesperson said.
The Taliban is a militant group founded inthe 1990s that seeks toestablish sharia law inAfghanistan and Pakistan. The group is known tohave carried outmultiple terror attacks againstauthorities and civilians inboth countries.
Last week, the Taliban rejected an offer ofcabinet positions inthe newly formed Afghan government. The fundamentalist organization countered withdemands forimmunity fromprosecution and changes tothe country's constitution beforeit would consider participating.
Also Tasnim Aslam stated that Pakistan is ready tobecome a member ofthe Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and play a constructive role infurthering the organization's strategy.
"Pakistan is ready. We have been making a case for [] membership inthe Shanghai Cooperation Organization," Tasnim Aslam told Sputnik, adding that Islamabad is looking forward to "play a constructive role infurthering [the] organization's objectives."
Tasnim Aslam also praised Russia forhelping Pakistan tojoin the Shanghai Organization. "China, ofcourse, is being supportive too," she added.
The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic and military alliance founded in2001 currently consisting China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India, Iran and Pakistan, aswell asMongolia and Afghanistan have observer country status, while Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.
During the SCO summit inDushanbe, which took place inSeptember last year, the leaders ofthe member nations finalized procedures fortaking innew members, withIndia, Pakistan, and Iran first onthe list.
The recent execution ofRussian citizen Akhlas Akhlaq inPakistan will not impact the development ofthe two countrys relations, Pakistani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told Sputnik.
Akhlaq, who had a dual citizenship, was executed inPakistan onDecember 21, 2014, afterbeing convicted ofa 2003 assassination attempt onPakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf.
"Our relations are much larger; they are developing ina positive trajectory," Tasnim Aslam who is also Pakistan's deputy foreign minister said adding that the matter is closed and behindus.
Akhlaq was born inthe Soviet Union toa Russian mother and a Pakistani father. In 2003, he was charged withplotting toassassinate Musharraf. Akhlaq was tried bya Pakistani military court and sentenced todeath in2005.
The execution did not take place until2014 due toa 2008 death penalty moratorium. The moratorium was lifted onDecember 17, 2014, aftera deadly Taliban gun massacre ata military school inthe Pakistani city ofPeshawar that killed more than140 people, including 132 children.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued an official statement noting that "it is regrettable that Pakistan has not responded toour numerous appeals tocommute Akhlaq's death sentence forhumanitarian reasons." The statement added that Pakistani authorities did not officially notify the Russian Embassy inIslamabad aboutthe decision tocarry outthe execution.
Talks are underway betweenMoscow and Islamabad regarding a possible expansion ofRussian military exports toPakistan, the spokesperson forthe Pakistani Foreign Ministry Tasnim Aslam told Sputnik.
"The discussions are going onand normally [are] announced when the deal are finalized. At this stage I won't get intothe specifics," said the spokesperson, who is also Pakistan's deputy foreign minister.
As oftoday, the primary Russian military exports toPakistan are limited tohelicopters and aircraft engines.
Aslam added that Russian-Pakistani defense relations are taking place "in the context ofa growing cooperation and growing economic relations" and that Islamabad is looking forward toincreasing Russia's participation inthe Pakistani energy sector. "We are very interested inRussia investing inPakistan energy sector where Russia has great experience. It is time forbig steps. [A] Pakistan steel mill was built byRussia. These are big items. Similar cooperation inother areas is possible," the spokesperson said.
According toAslam, the January 14 Moscow strategic talks betweenRussia and Pakistan were mainly concerned withreviewing "the global situation regarding the nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation and strategic stability matters." The sides also discussed cooperation withinmultilateral UN forums. "We had agreed onmultiplayer issues: human rights, development issues, specific countries' situation," Aslam said, noting that the talks were held ina "very cordial atmosphere."
According toAslam, anti-drug cooperation remains one ofthe strongest spheres inRussian-Pakistani relations. "We are neighbors ofAfghanistan where almost 95 percent ofthe world's poppy is cultivated and the drugs are being produced Pakistan and Russia are both transit countries and we have serious concerns that we share; our cooperation is very strong. The working group oncounter-drugs meets regularly. It participates invarious programs together," the spokesperson said.
The diplomat noted that the next Russia-Pakistani talks will be held inPakistan inOctober, 2015.
By Sputnik News
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