KABUL (Pajhwok): The Istanbul Peace Process began with a trilateral summit in 2007 in Ankara among Turkish, Afghan and Pakistani presidents, who conferred in graphic detail on regional cooperation in promoting the reconciliation effort in Afghanistan.
Ex-presidents Hamid Karzai, Asif Ali Zardari and Abdullah Gul held wide-ranging talks on how to resolve differences between Kabul and Islamabad. The first eight summits, involving an exchange of views on peace in Afghanistan, were hosted by Turkey
The Istanbul Process was established to provide a platform to discuss regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours. This dialogue was launched to expand practical coordination in facing common threats, including counterterrorism, counternarcotics, poverty and extremism.
Following the electoral standoff and formation of the national unity government, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Kabul, where he met Ashraf Ghani, First Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum and Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah on October 18, 2014.
At a news conference after bilateral talks, Ghani and Erdoğan stressed the importance of bilateral relations between their countries and vowed to further cement historic bonds. The visiting president pledged all-out support for lasting peace in Afghanistan.
"The Afghan people voted to form an administration for the first time. The people's free will is manifested," Erdoğan said, praising Ghani's contribution to democracy. He chose Afghanistan as the sixth country to visit as Turkey's president.
Apart from the United States, over 20 other nations and organisations are supporting the process. On April 26, 2013, Kazakhstan hosted the third Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process, which brought together leaders from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the UAE and Uzbekistan.
Western countries and international organisations also attended the discussions on mechanisms to support regional cooperation. The April meeting focused on the creation of “Silk Routes Partnership for Migration” to promote further dialogue and cooperation on the issue of migration.
The meeting also produced a declaration in support of Afghanistan’s development and the withdrawal of international forces. Kazakhstan’s diplomats supported regional efforts in the areas of counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics trafficking, trade promotion, the TAPIgas pipeline and the CASA-1000 electricity project.
The 4th Istanbul Ministerial Process was held in Beijing on October 31, 2014. The event co-chairs were Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Afghan Foreign Minister Zarar Ahmad Osmani. For the first time, China hosted the process.
