KABUL: (MEP) The two-day summit of the ‘Heart of Asia’ was launched today (Tuesday December 8, 2015) in Pakistani capital, Islamabad aimed at extending cooperation to help solve problems and improve the security situation in Afghanistan.
The summit included representatives from over 40 countries and high-ranking delegations from 10 international and regional organizations.
The first day of the conference held at the undergraduate level and without the presence of media representatives.
The main part of the conference will be officially launched tomorrow (Wednesday) at the level of foreign ministers or representatives from 40 states with speech of ‘Mohammad Nawaz Sharif’ Prime Minister of Pakistan and ‘Mohammad Ashraf Ghani’ President of Afghanistan.
The member countries are: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the UAE. The United States, Japan, Egypt, the United Kingdom, France and Germany are among the supporting countries, while the UN, NATO, SAARC, SCO and OIC are among the supporting organizations.
Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs Islamic Republic of Iran, Salahuddin Rabbani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Sushma Swaraj, Minister of Foreign Affairs of India, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, H.E. Mr Sirodjidin Aslov, And Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are the participants of the conference.
The Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process was established in 2011 at the initiative of Afghanistan and Turkey. The main objective of the Process is to foster efforts for regional cooperation and connectivity with a view to promoting long-term peace and stability as well as progress and development in Afghanistan, and the region.
