Peace, Counterterrorism, Security Enhancement, and Regional Cooperation | Press Conference with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan

Keypoints: 

• Gratitude and Friendship: Warm welcome to Afghanistan; appreciation for Afghan hospitality; strong Pakistan-Afghanistan ties.
• Shared Challenges: Terrorism affects both nations; peace requires addressing it comprehensively.
• Support and Peace: Pakistan backs Afghan-led reconciliation. 
• Security Cooperation: Police training, coordinated operations, and border security.
• Bilateral Principles: Non-interference, no use of territory against each other, shared identification of threats.
• Economic Collaboration: Trade, investment, infrastructure, and energy projects for regional integration.
• Commitment to Stability: Strengthening defense partnership; working for peace, prosperity, and long-term stability.

Your Excellency Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan, and the distinguished members of your delegation, welcome to Afghanistan. On behalf of the Government and the people of Afghanistan, I extend my sincere appreciation for your visit.

You arrive in Afghanistan at a time when war has been imposed upon us. In a situation of imposed war, it is our legal and national duty to defend the legitimate rights of the people of Afghanistan. As a legitimate and elected government, we take pride in our responsibility to defend and protect our people. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Afghanistan, I take pride both in our security and defense forces and in serving alongside them.

Today is a moment of great satisfaction that the district of Jowand has once again returned to the control of our brave forces. Our progress in Nawa district—an area that remained outside effective government control for thirteen years—has been remarkable and significant. Across all parts of Afghanistan, despite the fact that war has been declared against us—a war we did not seek—our security and defense forces are defending our sacred soil with full competence, dedication, and sacrifice.

Our war is not only ours. Regional and international terrorism has imposed this war upon us, and it has also been imposed upon you. The country that has suffered the greatest damage from this situation is Pakistan. Afghanistan and Pakistan must jointly confront this situation and, together, create the conditions for peace, stability, and prosperity that our entire people desire and that both nations seek.

The future of Afghanistan and Pakistan, God willing, is bright, because we hold a key position as the crossroads of the region in Asia, and Asia is in the process of transforming into a major economic continent. Without cooperation and a shared economic vision between Afghanistan and Pakistan, prosperity and stability in Asia cannot be achieved. Therefore, we welcome your economic program and congratulate you on the recent investments you have attracted, which will bring about meaningful change.

The National Unity Government possesses unity, determination, and the strength to continue its work. The national unity of Afghanistan is firm; our political will is strong; and our institutions operate with loyalty and integrity so that stability, security, and prosperity may be achieved in this sacred land. We take pride in the fact that the elected Government of Afghanistan enjoys the strong cooperation and support of the religious scholars. Thousands of scholars stand united in one row in support of the National Army, the National Unity Government, and the elected democratic system.

At the same time, I wish to express my gratitude to our international partners who have understood the legitimacy of our position and who are cooperating with both us and you in creating the conditions for regional and global cooperation. Under these circumstances, the strengthening of our security and defense forces by our international partners, along with their continued efforts in the economic and diplomatic spheres, provides a path toward stability and credibility for our bright future. I thank them.

Our discussions with Pakistan have focused on both shared threats and shared interests. Regarding shared threats, as the Prime Minister has stated and as we have consistently emphasized: there is no good or bad terrorism—terrorism is terrorism. A child in Peshawar or in Yahya Khel has the same blood and the same value, and we must all stand together against these threats. Our children must not be endangered in Peshawar or elsewhere, nor in any corner of Afghanistan. Our children must have the confidence that when they leave their homes, they will return safely.

The future of Asia depends on our joint actions, and our true common enemy is poverty. Poverty is our fundamental enemy. No matter how much wealth increases, if poverty prevails, stability will not be achieved. We need joint efforts to eliminate poverty. The true test of friendship in difficult times is that a friend stands beside a friend under such conditions.

Our hope from the negotiations we have held is that, as two friends and two states, we must create the conditions for stability in the region, stand clearly against shared threats, and declare that the enemies of Afghanistan are the enemies of Pakistan, and the enemies of Pakistan are the enemies of Afghanistan. With this clear and explicit vision, Your Excellency the Prime Minister, we can assure our people that our governments have a clear outlook for the future and will not become victims of the short-sightedness of the past. Once again, I thank you and warmly welcome you, Mr. Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif:

"I am delighted to visit Kabul and once again meet my very dear friends and brothers — His Excellency President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. I am gratified at the warm-hearted reception and generous hospitality that is so characteristic of the Afghan people. It is always a pleasure to be in Afghanistan and among my Afghan brethren. Coming to Afghanistan is like coming to my second home.

I have brought with me the most cordial greetings of the people of Pakistan for their Afghan brethren. Afghanistan has a special place in our hearts. There are no other two countries that have so much in common. We are friends, we are brothers, and we have stood shoulder to shoulder through every trial and tribulation. The fraternal ties between our two brotherly countries transcend time and space, reinforced by a common faith and cultural affinities.

Today, we had wide-ranging consultations on issues relating to the common challenges we face and the significant opportunities before us. We agreed that peace and stability in the region would remain elusive until the menace of terrorism afflicting the region is comprehensively addressed. I am confident that we will succeed in rooting out this menace through firm determination and by adopting a comprehensive and coordinated strategy.

Pakistan has the highest stake in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. We stand in strong solidarity with Afghanistan. I assure you, Mr. President, that the enemies of Afghanistan cannot be friends of Pakistan. We both recognize that an enduring peace in Afghanistan will be a distant dream without an inclusive intra-Afghan reconciliation. I reaffirm Pakistan's full support for an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process and assure the President that we will make all possible efforts in this regard.

We strongly condemn the increase in violence and offensive operations by the Afghan Taliban. The continuation of such offensives and attacks will be construed as terrorist acts, and we condemn such attacks in the strongest terms. All sanctuaries, when found, will be eliminated by direct action and will be monitored through existing mechanisms. Any effort by any militant or group to destabilize Afghanistan will be dealt with firmly, and such elements will be outlawed and hunted down. In case of terrorist activity, both Pakistan and Afghanistan retain the right of counteractions.

Capacity building of Afghan police will be done as already offered, including training. Coordinated operations will be planned and conducted on a mutually agreed basis to target militant hideouts along the border.

We agreed that our bilateral relationship will continue to be guided by the following three principles:

1. We will strictly adhere to the policy of non-interference.

2. We will not allow our respective territories to be used against the other.

3. Afghanistan's enemies will be treated as Pakistan's enemies, and Pakistan's enemies will be treated as Afghanistan's enemies.

We discussed ways of realizing the full potential of our human and material resources, including expanding trade, increasing investments, improving infrastructure, building road and rail links, and enhancing energy collaboration. I stressed the need for fast-tracking progress on trans-regional energy projects to advance the goal of greater regional integration.

I underlined Pakistan's resolve to further deepen our defense and security partnership with Afghanistan, including through enhanced cooperation along the border and human resource development. I assured the President of Pakistan's continued engagement with regional and international processes in support of Afghanistan. As co-chair of the Heart of Asia — Istanbul Process during 2015, we would steer the process in line with shared priorities and aspirations.

I conclude by reaffirming my commitment to continue to work with my brother, President Ghani, for the prosperity and development of our two peoples and in advancing our shared objectives of peace and stability in the region.