TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Thursday asked his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi for continued cooperation in evacuating Japanese nationals from Afghanistan.

Motegi made the request at their meeting in New York. Qureshi replied that Pakistan is ready to provide support for the evacuations.

Japanese Air Self-Defense Force aircraft used an airport in Islamabad as a base to transport Japanese and Afghan evacuees to the Pakistani capital from Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, late last month. Motegi thanked Qureshi for Pakistan’s cooperation in the airlifting mission.

Also on Thursday, Motegi met with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in New York and asked for support in swiftly bringing remaining Japanese nationals and Afghan staff workers at the Japanese Embassy in Kabul out of Afghanistan.

The Qatari minister responded that his country will cooperate as much as it can. Qatar has close ties with the Taliban, the Islamic group that took over Afghanistan last month.

JIJI Press