Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson meeting with Chief Executive of Afghanistan Dr Abdullah Abdullah

FCO spokesman said:

The Foreign Secretary today [7 June] hosted Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive of Afghanistan, for talks at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Foreign Secretary reiterated UK commitment to Afghanistan and support for a sustainable Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process with the Taliban. They discussed today’s announcement by President Ghani on a temporary ceasefire over Eid al-Fitr and the progress that had been made in Afghanistan since 2001, particularly in the fields of human rights and girls’ education, while acknowledging that challenges remained.

They discussed Afghanistan-Pakistan relations and the importance of building trust between the two sides in support of lasting peace in Afghanistan. They also discussed the upcoming Afghan parliamentary and presidential elections. Dr Abdullah raised his concerns about the impact on Afghanistan of sanctions on Iran.

Finally, the Foreign Secretary urged Afghanistan to attend the special conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention taking place on 26-27 June as a clear signal of the global commitment to uphold the global ban on chemical weapons.