SHAFAQNA PAKISTAN (Shia News Agency)
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif left for the UK on Tuesday to attend the London Conference on Afghanistan which is being held from Dec 3 to Dec 4.
“The conference is being co-hosted by the governments of UK and Afghanistan. President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah will be attending from Afghanistan,” Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said in a statement.
Aslam further said that during the visit, the premier would have bilateral interaction with British Prime Minister David Cameron and hold a meeting with World Bank officials.
The British PM is also scheduled to host a breakfast meeting, which will be attended by PM Nawaz and the Afghan leadership.
“A bilateral meeting with the US Secretary of State John Kerry is also scheduled,” said Aslam.
Commenting on the premier’s participation in the London Conference, Aslam said it is a reflection of the importance that Pakistan attaches to international efforts for peace, stability and economic development in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has consistently underscored the importance of deeper engagement of the international community with Afghanistan on the economic plane to reinforce efforts for peace and stability.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who met Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif at his office on Sunday night, will meet PM Nawaz in London later this week.
At a news briefing in Washington, the State Department had named only two world leaders that Mr Kerry would meet during the London conference on Afghanistan — PM Nawaz and Afghan President Ghani.
Secretary Kerry recognised the “tremendous sacrifices the Pakistani military has made in its efforts to improve the security situation in Pakistan and acknowledged Pakistan’s commitment to counter all extremist elements,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki had told a briefing in Washington on Monday.
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