Istanbul Conference for Afghanistan concluded

The Istanbul Conference for Afghanistan meeting co-chaired by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Afghan counterpart Zalmai Rassoul at the Ciragan Palace was concluded yesterday in Istanbul. Speaking at the opening of meeting, President Abdullah Gul said that problems such as terrorism, extremism, drug and human trafficking against which Afghanistan has been fighting cannot be tackled by a single country. "Afghanistan is currently facing various problems and risks. These issues are multidimensional and complicated. It has been understood that the countries do not have the luxury for turning their backs on the problems suffered by people living in distant regions and that neighbors and surroundings of a suffering country cannot continue to live in safety, welfare and stability forever. As its neighbors, we owe Afghanistan a contribution to its unity, solidarity, stability and welfare," said Gul. Speaking in his part, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that Istanbul was not only the cradle of civilizations, but also the strong leader of its region, adding, "We have been trying to rebuild Afghanistan out of wreckages of war and establish a pluralist and democratic country for the last ten years. [Former Afghan President] Burhanuddin Rabbani has unfortunately deceased. He has tried to turn the political process in our country a more embracing one. He has worked hard so that Taliban and other leaders participate in the peace process, move away from violence and end their relations with al-Qaeda, but recent incidents showed that the peace process has failed and Taliban's leader settled in Pakistan." The summit which was organized in order to encourage regional cooperation aimed at establishing peace and welfare in Afghanistan was also attended by representatives from Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the US, Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Canada, Italy, the UN, Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Organization for Economic Cooperation (OEC), Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), EU, NATO and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Speaking at the end of the summit, Davutoglu declared the "Istanbul process" which envisages concrete suggestions, saying that it was signed by fourteen countries pledging to rebuild Afghanistan. As part of the Istanbul process, these countries have pledged to boost the fight against terrorism particularly through exchange of information, conduct cooperation following the disasters, exert efforts to ensure that Afghan refugees return to their countries, fight against drug and human trafficking, strengthen the transportation roads, support energy transmission lines and provide the businessmen with visa facilities.