A regional conference hosted by Pakistan with focus on Afghanistan has started where External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will represent India at the ministerial-level meeting. The fifth ‘Heart of Asia’ conference, an annual gathering of Asian and other countries, is aimed at enhancing cooperation for countering security threats and promoting connectivity in the region. The high-ranking delegations from 14 participating states, 17 supporting countries and 12 international and regional organisations are participating in the two-day conference, according to the Foreign Office.
The Theme of the conference is ‘Heart of Asia -Istanbul Process: Enhanced cooperation for countering security threats and promoting connectivity in the Heart of Asia region.
The major event will take place tomorrow when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will jointly inaugurate the meeting of foreign ministers. Foreign ministers from 10 countries, including Ms Swaraj, will attend the meeting.
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the UAE are part of the initiative launched in 2011 for encouraging economic and security cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours for dealing with the common problems of terrorism, extremism and poverty.
Key Areas of Discussion
- Disaster management
- Counter-terrorism
- Counter-narcotics
- Trade and investment
- Regional infrastructure
- Education.
