ISLAMABAD (Reuters – Pakistan met with envoys from Russia, China, and the United States to discuss Afghanistan. This was as Pakistan’s foreign minister warned his neighbor that it is on the verge of financial collapse.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2015, the Troika Plus grouping of nations met for the very first time.

In opening remarks to the Islamabad meeting, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan’s foreign minister stated that “the engagement with Afghanistan must continue” and added that it should be accelerated for many reasons.

“Nobody wants to see a civil war return, nobody wants to see an economic downturn that causes instability. Everyone wants the terrorist elements inside Afghanistan to get dealt with efficiently and we want to stop a new refugee crises,” he stated.

As Afghanistan’s economy collapses, humanitarian agencies have been raising alarms about the danger of a serious humanitarian crisis. This is due to the halt in aid as well as restrictions placed on Afghanistan’s banking system by the international governments after the Taliban took power.

Pakistan has asked the United States to grant Afghanistan development assistance in order to stop its collapse. The Pakistani government has asked for the release of billions in assets from Afghanistan that are held overseas by its central bank.

Qureshi stated that Afghanistan is on the verge of economic collapse.

Pakistan discussed also the possibility that Afghanistan join CPEC. It is a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure project with China.

The latest diplomatic meeting in the area is Thursday’s.

The Taliban’s acting foreign minister visited Afghanistan for three days to talk trade. India, meanwhile, held a conference on Wednesday. Arch-rival Pakistan was not there.