Pakistani President Arif Alvi welcomed Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, on Wednesday and wished Afghanistan success for achieving lasting peace.

“Pakistan’s government and leadership fully support the peace efforts in Afghanistan,” Alvi said.
“Pakistan suffers from war in Afghanistan and benefits from peace,” he added.
The Pakistani president called for increased cooperation in the fields of education, higher education, information technology and public health. He also said their bilateral trade should increase and with the “advent of peace,” South Asia should be connected to Central Asia.
Abdullah discussed the Afghan peace process and gave a clear picture of the situation in the country – regarding their challenges and opportunities for peace and bilateral cooperation.

“I thanked the President, the government, and people of Pakistan for their warm welcome, hospitality, and continued support for the peace process, and strengthening of bilateral relations,” he tweeted.
The chairman also called achieving peace one of the main priorities of the people and government of Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan wants good relations with all its neighbours, especially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and peace and stability in Afghanistan will pave the way for cooperation, trade growth and development between the two countries and the region as a whole,” he said.
“We have an exceptional and real opportunity to overcome the problems and end the war. We hope to achieve lasting peace and stability this time with domestic, regional and international support,” he concluded.
Abdullah had departed on Monday for a three-day official trip to Pakistan.