ISLAMABAD: Peace and stability in Afghanistan is a shared concern among member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Pakistan鈥檚 President Mamnoon Hussain said on Sunday.
鈥淲e believe this is only possible through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process,鈥� he told the plenary session of the 18th meeting of the SCO鈥檚 Council of Heads of State.
鈥淧akistan will continue to lend its full support for the promotion of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan,鈥� he added, welcoming Afghan President Ashraf Ghani鈥檚 鈥渦nconditional offer of peace talks with the Taliban.鈥�
Pakistan 鈥渉as embarked on a bilateral action plan for peace, security and stability with Afghanistan,鈥� Hussain said. 鈥淲e hope these efforts will bear fruit and contribute to peace in Afghanistan.鈥�
He thanked China鈥檚 government for organizing the meeting, adding: 鈥淭he SCO鈥檚 regional anti-terrorism structure is an expression of our concerns on extremism and terrorism. We appreciate the progress of this forum towards its stated purposes.鈥�
Pakistan is ready to share its experience in successful counterterrorism campaigns with SCO member states, he said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also attending the meeting, shook hands with Hussain on Sunday. They held bilateral meetings with SCO heads of state, but not with each other.