Trilateral summit with Afghanistan, Pakistan set to start today

Starting today, President Abdullah Gul will host his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari in Istanbul in a trilateral summit of Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan. During the meeting, joint efforts against terrorism and ways of improving cooperation among the three countries in various areas will be discussed. Today's summit will be the fourth of its kind, and a joint declaration is expected after the gathering. President Gul yesterday hosted a dinner in Istanbul for his visiting Afghan and Pakistani counterparts, along with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. In related news, Erdogan had separate meetings with the Afghan and Pakistani presidents in Istanbul. During his meeting with Karzai, Erdogan pledged Turkey's continued support for Afghanistan in such areas as building schools and offering training for Afghan police and military personnel. The two leaders agreed that 68 new schools built by the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) as part of an education cooperation declaration between Turkey and Afghanistan would open with Erdogan's participation this spring. During his meeting with Zardari, Erdogan pledged that Turkey would donate to Pakistan various defense equipment, including replacement parts for Cobra attack helicopters. Erdogan also pledged that Turkey would bring to completion an unfinished cricket stadium in the city of Muzafferabad. They also agreed that a meeting on improving air, land and sea transportation between Turkey and Pakistan will convene in March. The Turkish, Afghan and Pakistani education ministers also met yesterday to seek ways to boost trilateral cooperation. They agreed to start work on the trilateral translation of schoolbooks to stress the joint historic and cultural ties among their three countries. They also resolved to come up with joint projects to educate women and promote social transformation.