Istanbul to host a conference for Afghanistan

ANKARA (A.A) - October 31, 2011 - "Istanbul Conference for Afghanistan" will take place in Turkey's Istanbul city on November 2. Turkish Foreign Ministry stated on Sunday that the conference would be inaugurated by Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Canada, Italy, the UN, Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the EU, NATO, Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) were invited in the conference. The conference aims to encourage regional cooperation to restore peace, prosperity and well-being in Afghanistan, said the ministry.