WASHINGTON, Feb 26: Minutes before joining the final round of trilateral talks in Washington on Thursday, Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta declared that his government was willing to work together with its allies to eradicate terrorism from the Afghan-Pakistan region.

Talking to the media at the US State Department, Mr Spanta also thanked the US government for giving the Afghans the “opportunity to come together with our Pakistani friends and brothers to discuss the problems of security in our region”.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said at the same briefing that she just finished “a very productive” discussion with the Afghan delegation and was now heading straight to a trilateral meeting of US, Pakistan and Afghan officials.

According to the State Department, an important announcement will be made after the trilateral meeting.

Secretary Clinton said the two delegations had had “a series of excellent meetings” with the US government and with each other.

Foreign Minister Spanta said Afghanistan was proud of its strategic partnership with the US.

He said that in the past seven years the two countries had come a long way in their joint efforts to combat terrorism, and achieve stability and prosperity in Afghanistan and in the region. “Afghans are grateful for President Obama’s personal commitment to Afghanistan.”

He said that Mr Obama’s decision to review US-Afghan policy was a clear sign of his determination to see Afghanistan succeed. “As we move forward in consolidating our past achievements and in tackling challenges, this vision will result in strengthening our bilateral relations and our partners.”