President Zardari to visit Turkey for trilateral meeting on Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD, Oct 27 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari will visit Turkey from Monday next at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul to attend the trilateral meeting on Afghanistan being held in Istanbul.

The President will have an all-encompassing dialogue with the Turkish leadership on different aspects of bilateral relations and cooperation on regional and international issues.

Giving details of the visit, foreign office spokesperson Ms.  Tehmina Janjua at weekly briefing said President Asif Ali Zardari would join President Abdullah Gul and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the trilateral summit on Afghanistan. The agenda of the summit, to be held in Istanbul, will include peace, stability and reconciliation in Afghanistan and economic cooperation among the three countries.

She said Pakistan attaches importance to the trilateral and multilateral processes relating to Afghanistan and supports all endeavours and initiatives in this regard.

Replying to a question she said Pakistan would raise the issue of attacks by militants from Afghanistan into Pakistani territory during trilateral summit.

She said on Wednesday next, Turkey would host regional conference on Afghanistan and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar would lead Pakistan’s delegation at the moot.

The conference would provide a platform to express solidarity and support for Afghanistan in its endeavours to establish peace and stability, she added.

Turkey is hosting the trilateral summit between Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey.

Foreign Office spokesperson said, “Pakistan attaches importance to the various trilateral, quadrilateral and other processes relating to Afghanistan and will continue to contribute constructively to all endeavours and initiatives in this regard.”

She said Pakistan attached importance to the Regional Conference on Afghanistan being held in Istanbul on November 2 and added that Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar will lead the Pakistan Delegation to the conference.

She said, “We envisage this Conference as a platform to express regions solidarity and support for Afghanistan in its endeavours to establish peace and stability; an inclusive process of national reconciliation; consolidate its sovereignty and territorial integrity; and achieve socio-economic prosperity by undertaking mutually beneficial economic cooperation with neighbouring states, the region and the world.”

The spokesperson said, “Pakistan supports efforts for a secure, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan contributing to stability, security and prosperity in the region.”

She said regional support for this undertaking is of particular significance and the concept of developing a harmonious and mutually beneficial partnership between Afghanistan and the region is important.

The spokesperson said, “We believe the Istanbul Conference should manifest in tangible terms its support for Afghanistan on the basis of established principles of inter-state conduct enshrined in the UN Charter and the International Law as well as material, financial and technical support for socio economic development.”

She said in dealing with the existing challenges, the Conference should also affirm support for eliminating all forms and manifestation of terrorism as well as production and trafficking of drugs in psychotropic substances. 

The spokesperson said it is important that unity of purpose and the region’s support for Afghanistan must be ensured through ‘consensus decision making.’

She said the existing regional organizations and arrangements may also be urged to prioritize support in their respective domains for achieving the afore-stated objectives of a stable, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan in a stable, peaceful and prosperous region.