Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that the issues between Afghanistan and Pakistan can only be resolved through dialogue and consultation.
The use of force would only complicate the situation and intensify the contradictions, which would be of no benefit to either side and threatens regional peace and stability, he said.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a phone conversation with Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi at the latter's request.
Muttaqi thanked China for its active efforts in mediating the conflicts between Afghanistan and Pakistan, noting that the Afghan people, who have suffered greatly from war, cherish the opportunities for peace and development.
The Afghan foreign minister said his country wants to be a source of regional peace rather than unrest, reaffirming that its territory will not be used to attack neighboring countries.
Afghanistan does not wish to engage in military conflict with other countries, and looks forward to mutual trust and friendly coexistence with neighboring countries, he said.
The Afghan side believes that dialogue and consultation are the only way to resolve issues and looks forward to China, as a major country and a friendly neighbor, playing a greater role, he said.
For his part, Wang said that the more volatile the external environment becomes, the more countries in the region should strengthen unity and cooperation, overcome difficulties together, and forge a path of cooperative security and common security.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are inseparable brothers and neighbors that cannot be moved away from each other, he said.
China has always maintained an objective and impartial stance on the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Wang said.
The special envoy on Afghan affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry is shuttling between the two countries to mediate, he said, adding that it is hoped that both sides will keep calm and exercise restraint, have face-to-face exchanges at an early date, achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, and resolve differences and contradictions through dialogue.
China is willing to continue to make active efforts to help achieve reconciliation and detente between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Wang said.
The two sides also exchanged views on the situation in Iran.
Wang reaffirmed China's principled position, stating that China is willing to work with the international community, including Afghanistan, to further play a constructive role in striving for peace.
Chinese FM calls for resolving issues between Afghanistan and Pakistan through dialogue, consultation
Chinese FM calls for resolving issues between Afghanistan and Pakistan through dialogue, consultation
Iran has received U.S. feedback on its latest peace proposal through Pakistani mediators, and talks between the two sides are still underway, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday.
Speaking at a press conference in Tehran, Baghaei said that although the United States had publicly rejected Iran's 14-point peace proposal aimed at ending the conflict, Tehran had still received revisions and concerns through mediator Pakistan.
Such dialogue is continuing through the mediator, he said, stressing that although Iran does not trust the United States, it is still participating in the negotiations based on national interests.
Baghaei said that Iran has submitted its response to U.S. revisions to the conflict resolution plan.
"We approach every diplomatic process with deep distrust and serious skepticism in order to safeguard the national interests of Iran. Iran is aware that, given the United States' track record of undermining negotiations, it may repeat the same actions at any moment," Baghaei said.
Baghaei also said the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz stems from military actions launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, as well as what he described as violations of international law by the two countries.
Iran has taken relevant measures to ensure safety of navigation in the region, he said, adding that communication between Iran and Oman over issues related to the Strait of Hormuz is ongoing.
Baghaei said Iran harbors no hostility toward any country in the Middle East and called on all parties to remain vigilant against attempts by external forces to create division in the region.
Responding to repeated U.S. threats that military action against Iran could resume if no agreement is reached, Baghaei said threats and pressure have long been Washington's standard approach, but such tactics would not work on Iran.
He said Iran would continue advancing negotiations while closely monitoring developments and preparing for all possible scenarios.
Baghaei stressed that Iran would not abandon the rights granted to it under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and that the country is currently focused on efforts to end the conflict.
Also on Monday, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing sources close to the Iranian negotiating team, said that Tehran had handed over its newest 14-point proposed plan for ending the war with the United States to Pakistan.
Pakistan will convey the plan to the United States, the report said.
The new proposal was submitted after Tehran revised its earlier 14-point draft in response to a recent U.S. proposal, the sources added.
According to the sources, Iran's new draft focuses on negotiations to end the war, as well as on "trust-building" measures.
In a separate report on Monday, Tasnim quoted another source close to the Iranian negotiating team as saying that, unlike previous U.S. drafts, Washington had agreed in its latest proposal to waive sanctions on Iranian oil during the negotiation period.
On the same day, however, a U.S. official said claims by the Iranian side that the U.S. had agreed to lift sanctions during the negotiations were false.
Iran, the United States and Israel reached a ceasefire on April 8 after 40 days of fighting that started with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities on Feb 28.
Following the truce, Iranian and U.S. delegations held one round of peace talks in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on April 11 and 12, which failed to yield an agreement.
Over the past weeks, the two sides have reportedly exchanged several proposed plans outlining conditions for ending the conflict through Pakistan.
Iran's foreign ministry says talks with US still underway
