Turkey to host meetings on Pakistan, Afghanistan in coming months

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

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The first meeting, planned for September, will bring together the Friends of Pakistan group, which aims to help Pakistan's economic development as a means of stabilizing the restive country, AFP quoted ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin as saying.  

The group includes Turkey, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, the United States, China, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Australia and Italy plus the United Nations and the European Union.

In November, Turkey will also host a meeting of countries neighboring Afghanistan to discuss how to help the war-ravaged country, Ozugergin said, adding that the details of both gathering were yet to be outlined.

Turkey, a NATO member, has had traditionally close ties with both Afghanistan and Pakistan and has since 2007 hosted three meetings between their presidents in a bid to encourage the two countries to overcome their differences and cooperate against Islamist extremists.

Ozugergin also said Turkey's embassy in Islamabad had been designated as a contact point between Pakistan and NATO last month.

"The embassy’s mission will be to help the political dialogue and cooperation between NATO and Pakistan... and to provide information about NATO to the Pakistani public opinion," he said.

Extremists opposed to Islamabad’s decision to side with the US-led "war on terror" in neighboring Afghanistan have carried out bombings and other attacks that have claimed hundreds of lives.

They have also targeted NATO convoys carrying supplies to foreign forces fighting against the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.

Ozugergin's remarks came as Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan was to proceed to Afghanistan from Pakistan on his first trip to these two countries since he assumed office.

Davutoglu met high-level Pakistani officials, including Foreign Minister Mehmood Qureshi, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zerdari, during his stay in the country.

Photo is an archive image.