Spanish foreign minister in Islamabad for talks on Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares arrived in Pakistan on Friday for talks on the evolving situation in Afghanistan.
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan last month and after weeks of a power vacuum unveiled an interim cabinet on Tuesday.
Thousands of people have left Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover and the United Nations has warned that up to half a million Afghans could flee their homeland by the end of the year.
The Spanish foreign minister’s one-day visit follows a number of recent trips by European leaders to Pakistan, as expecting and trying to prevent a refugee influx into its member states the EU has been pledging to boost support to countries around Afghanistan.
Upon arrival in Islamabad, Albares said in a video shared on Twitter he would also ask for Pakistan’s help in securing the evacuation from Afghanistan of people who worked with Spanish forces there.
“I just landed in Islamabad. In Pakistan we are also working to leave no one behind and to deal with the crisis in Afghanistan with a key player in the region,” he said.
He was received by his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Besides Qureshi, Albares is due to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief of Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
“Views will be exchanged on the latest developments in Afghanistan,” the Pakistan foreign office said in a statement on Thursday, ahead of Albares’s visit.
“The visit of Foreign Minister Albares will help reinforce close cooperation between the two countries to strengthen mutual coordination on regional and international issues.”
Pakistan’s third largest trading partner in the EU, Spain is also home to one of the largest Pakistani diasporas in Europe.

Spanish foreign minister in Islamabad for talks on Afghanistan