Iran FM flies to Turkey for conference on Afghanistan
ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency
1390/08/11
11-02-2011
08:01:20
News Code :9008-07752
TEHRAN (ISNA) - Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi left for Istanbul Wednesday morning to join Afghanistan's security meeting.
Officials say the "Istanbul Conference on Afghanistan: Security and Cooperation at the Heart of Asia" is aimed at committing to a stable and independent Afghanistan and discussing regional economic cooperation.
Afghan President Hamed Karzai had stated in Sept. 23 at the UN General Assembly that the conference would recognize Afghanistan 's quest for stability, as well as the region's growing need for confidence-building and cooperation in the face of the common challenges -- terrorism, extremism, the drug trade and obstacles to legitimate interaction and movement.
The foreign ministers of 14 countries are expected to take part in the conference. The countries are: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
High-level representatives from the United States, UN, Japan and many Western countries are expected to take part as observers.
The Istanbul conference also focuses on issues relevant to Afghan security, recruitment, training and equipment of Afghan security forces, as well as the reconciliation process. The conference will also focus on regional economic cooperation among Asian countries.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
