ISLAMABAD: China on Wednesday said that Pakistan has faced terrorism for a long time and has always been opposed to it.
Addressing the 16th Foreign Ministers Meeting of Russia-India-China (RIC), China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the country appreciates that Pakistan and India have decided to exercise restraint and avoid escalation of the situation.
“As a mutual friend to both Pakistan and India, we hope that they can conduct a dialogue to establish facts through investigation to keep things under control and maintain peace and stability in the region. In this process China is playing a constructive role not the opposite,” Wang Yi said.
China’s statement came hours after Indian external affairs minister (EAM) raised the February 14 Pulwama suicide attack in the 16th Foreign Ministers Meeting of Russia-India-China (RIC) and claimed that Pakistan remains a terror haven.
She also claimed that the airstrike in Pakistan, in light of the terror attack, was not a military action.
“It was not a military operation, no military installation were targeted. The objective was to act against the terrorist infrastructure of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) to preempt another terror attack in India. India does not wish to see a further escalation of the situation. It will continue to act with responsibility and restraint,” she said.
In a joint communiqué issued after the meeting, Pakistan has not been mentioned which means that both countries did not support India’s stance on the matter.
Moreover, according to the joint communiqué, the ministers strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They called on the international community to strengthen UN-led global counter-terrorism cooperation by fully implementing the relevant United Nation Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, while respecting sovereignty and independence of all states, and expeditiously finalising and adopting the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the earliest.
They reiterated that states and their competent agencies play a central role in both national and international counter-terrorism efforts. They also stressed that terrorist groups cannot be supported and used in political and geopolitical goals.
The ministers also stressed that those committing, orchestrating, inciting or supporting terrorist acts must be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with existing international commitments on countering terrorism, including the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, relevant UNSC resolutions and the FATF standards, international treaties, including on the basis of the principle “extradite or prosecute” and relevant international and bilateral obligations and in compliance with applicable domestic legislation.
They reiterated support for the government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts to achieve an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process and to build a peaceful, secure, united, sovereign, democratic, stable, prosperous and inclusive country that exists in harmony with its neighbours. The ministers reaffirmed their support to the efforts of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces in fighting terrorist organisations.
The ministers stressed the importance of multilateral interactions on the Afghanistan issue, including the SCO, the Moscow Format, the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process, the Kabul Process and the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan. They welcomed the successful holding of a meeting of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group at the level of deputy foreign ministers in Beijing on May 28, 2018, and the Second Round of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan on November 9, 2018. India also offered to host the next SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group at the level of deputy foreign ministers meeting in 2019.
The ministers underscored that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue was an important achievement of multilateral diplomacy, which serves international and regional peace and security and the common interests of the international community. Recalling the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian Nuclear Programme and the UNSC Resolution 2231, they called upon all parties to fully comply with their obligations and ensure full and effective implementation of the JCPOA to promote international and regional peace and security. They recognised Iran’s right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy as also the international community’s strong interest in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.
The ministers reiterated that a two-state solution should be pursued to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue through negotiation based on the relevant UN resolutions, the principle of “land for peace”, the Arab peace initiative and pre-existing agreements between Israel and Palestine, leading to the establishment of a sovereign, independent and united State of Palestine coexisting peacefully with the State of Israel.