After meeting with the Chinese side, Afghanistan and Pakistan upgraded their relations to the ambassadorial level with each other.

On the evening of May 31st local time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the interim Afghan government issued a statement welcoming Pakistan's decision to upgrade its diplomatic representation office in Kabul to an ambassadorial-level institution. In response, Afghanistan will upgrade its diplomatic representation office in Islamabad from chargé d'affaires level to ambassadorial level.

The statement emphasized that the upgrading of the diplomatic representation levels between Afghanistan and Pakistan paves the way for deepening bilateral cooperation in multiple fields.

On May 30th, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Qureshi said that since his visit to Kabul in April, positive changes have occurred in relations between the two countries. "To maintain this momentum, I am pleased to announce that the Pakistani government has decided to upgrade its diplomatic representation in Kabul from chargé d'affaires level to ambassadorial level."

India's NDTV noticed that the timing of Pakistan's upgrading of its relations with Afghanistan was just a few days after China began to engage with the interim Afghan government.

Trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to information on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, on May 21st, Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi presided over an informal trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan in Beijing. Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Qureshi and Afghan Acting Foreign Minister Mutaki attended the meeting.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi summarized the outcomes of the meeting, including close exchanges and strengthening diplomatic ties. Afghanistan and Pakistan clearly expressed their willingness to enhance the level of diplomatic relations and agreed in principle to send ambassadors to each other as soon as possible. China welcomed this and is willing to continue to provide assistance for the improvement of relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are closely connected, with Pakistan having once accommodated a large number of Afghan refugees. However, the two countries have significant differences on issues such as borders and counter-terrorism. After August 2021, Pakistan did not close its diplomatic institutions in Afghanistan and accepted the dispatch of diplomats by the interim Afghan government.

According to reports by the Associated Press, previously, the relations between the two countries were long strained, with Pakistan accusing Afghanistan of providing shelter to the Pakistani Taliban organization.

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