Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar had a telephone conversation with the Foreign Affairs Minister of Canada François-Philippe Champagne on Friday evening.

The two sides discussed a wide range of issues, including the resumption of Afghanistan peace negotiations in Doha, the need for reducing violence and a comprehensive ceasefire, preserving the democratic gains of the last 19 years, and the progress in the investigation of the PS725 airplane crash in Iran last year.

Discussing the Afghan peace process, both sides stressed the need for preserving the hard-won democratic and human rights gains of the past two decades in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Champagne reiterated his country's support for promoting core values, including human rights, women's rights, the rule of law, and democracy.

Minister Atmar also maintained that protecting human rights and women's rights, strengthening the rule of law and democratic institutions, and respecting the Afghan people's free will were the necessary conditions for sustainable peace in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Atmar extended his gratitude to Canada's government and people for standing by Afghanistan in the last nineteen years and strongly supporting the preservation of Afghanistan's hard-won democratic gains.