Turkey hosted the presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan Tuesday for a trilateral summit designed to reduce tensions and promote cooperation between the two neighbours amid stepped-up Taliban attacks.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul held separate talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan in an ancient Ottoman palace overlooking the Bosphorus before the three-way talks later Tuesday.
The meeting ahead of an international conference on Afghanistan on Wednesday in Turkey is the first between the two neighbours since the assassination of the former Afghan leader and peace negotiator Burhanuddin Rabbani on September 20.
Kabul has accused Islamabad of refusing to cooperate in the investigation of the murder, which according to Afghan authorities, was planned in Pakistan and committed by a Pakistani suicide bomber.
“The regional environment is deteriorating. We will try to resolve differences and play a facilitator role to address the mistrust between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” said a Turkish diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
He added that all countries in the region have a duty to work for peace in Afghanistan.
The three presidents will also discuss their fight against the Islamist insurgency and sign agreements enshrining their commitment to cooperate in the field of security, according to the same source.
The meeting is the sixth in Turkey, a NATO member, since the regular consultation mechanism was established in 2007 to encourage both countries to cooperate against extremism.
The previous meetings between the two countries’ presidents, military leaders and intelligence chiefs resulted in the parties’ commitment to improve cooperation.
Later Tuesday, the three presidents will sign two agreements on security cooperation, including a military one, said the Turkish source, adding that the deals will forge cross-border cooperation against terrorism.
The trilateral summit will be followed by an international conference Wednesday in Istanbul on the theme “Security and Cooperation in the heart of Asia.” Twenty countries and organisations are expected to attend the Istanbul event.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton changed her plans and cancelled her visit to Istanbul at the last minute to stay with her ailing mother.
In Istanbul, the Afghan president is expected to officially announce the new sites that are to transition from NATO to Afghan control. In July, he announced the first seven areas to begin the transition process.
The process must be completed by the end of 2014, when the coalition forces are due to withdraw its combat troops.
