Off the wire
• ASEAN Regional Forum Disaster Relief Exercises 2015 kicks off  • Youngest man at this French Open suffers first round exit  • Finland increases retirement age of civil servants to 65  • 28 IS militants killed in airstrikes, clashes in western Iraq  • China lodges representations over U.S. military reconnaissance  • Chinese artists perform in Cambodian capital  • Singapore, Chinese navies conclude inaugural bilateral naval exercise  • Canada, U.S. to hold joint military exercise  • Feature: First walking street in Vietnam kaleidoscopic magnet for visitors, setting blueprint for future  • Italian president voices support for Serbia's EU integration efforts  
You are here: 　 Home

Heart of Asia moot says security key to Afghanistan's prosperity

Xinhua, May 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Members and supporters of the Heart of Asia- Istanbul process on Monday agreed that peace, security and stability are essential for socio-economic development and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region.

Senior Officials of the grouping met in Islamabad and held in- depth discussions on assessment of security situation in Afghanistan and the Heart of Asia region, a joint statement said at the end of the day-long conference.

The conference was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and Hekmat Khalil Karzai, deputy foreign minister of Afghanistan.

The countries and organizations attended the conference recognized the need to collectively strive for the attainment of these objectives to create a win-win situation for all.

The lead and co-lead countries of the Six Confidence Building Measures of the Process, briefed the meeting on the progress achieved so far.

The moot also discussed regional cooperation to address security challenges in the Heart of Asia region; Afghanistan's peace and reconciliation process and role of the region in this process as well as regional priorities for economic connectivity, including regional projects like CASA-1000, TAPI gas pipeline and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process was launched in 2011 to bring together regional countries to promote peace and prosperity in Afghanistan.

Speaking at the conference, Pakistan Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz expressed the confidence that the transformation phase, on which Afghanistan has embarked upon, would become a harbinger of regional growth and prosperity.

Sartaj Aziz urged all neighboring countries to pool their resources for peace and development in Afghanistan.

The adviser said the co-chairs of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process share a vision to build a comprehensive and enduring relationship, based on trust and deeper cooperation in security and counter-terrorism, trade and economic cooperation, energy and connectivity, support for reconciliation and regional cooperation.

He said recent visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Kabul has added a new dimension to mutual commitment for creating a peaceful and prosperous neighborhood in the region.

"We see our collective efforts for peace and reconciliation as the ultimate culmination to bring about a lasting settlement of the conflicts that has been raging, in one form or the other, for the last three decades," the Pakistani adviser said. Endi