Afghanistan confirms Amir Khan Muttaqi’s maiden Pakistan visit

• Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will arrive in Pakistan on November 10 on his maiden visit.
  
• Pakistan has extended a special invitation to Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister to attend the meeting.
• Special Representatives for Afghanistan from the United States, China, Russia and Pakistan will be meeting on Thursday. 

KABUL: Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will arrive in Pakistan on November 10 on his maiden visit after assuming the office, confirmed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan Tuesday.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the ministry said that matters related to the economic crisis in Afghanistan and ease in visa regime would be discussed with the Pakistani authorities during the visit.

Earlier, Pakistan has extended a special invitation to Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to attend the Troika Plus meeting.

Troika Plus meeting is scheduled to be held in Islamabad on November 11. 

“Special Representatives for Afghanistan from the United States, China, Russia and Pakistan will be meeting on Thursday and we hope that Mr Muttaqi will also be able to attend,” an official told The News.

The Troika Plus on Afghanistan will be attended by Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, the State Department’s Special Representative and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Afghanistan, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong.

Pakistan has still not recognised the caretaker setup in Afghanistan. However, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, after his visit to Kabul, had told the media that he had invited Mutaqqi, who had accepted his invitation.

What is Troika Plus? 

China, Russia, Pakistan and the US have major stakes in bringing peace to Afghanistan. These countries have long been active participants in the Afghan peace talks. The four key players had established the forum named Troika Plus to restore peace in Afghanistan, develop regional consensus on the Afghan issue and help the war-torn country in addressing the problems.