Turkey to organize regional conference on Afghanistan

ISTANBUL (A.A) - 10.05.2011 - Turkey will host a regional conference in Istanbul at the beginning of November.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu hosted a working breakfast for representatives from countries neighboring and surrounding Afghanistan in Istanbul. Ministers from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iran, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as United Nations (UN) Special Representative for Afghanistan Staffan De Mistura attended the working breakfast that took place on the sidelines of the Fourth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries.
The participants released a statement at the end of the working breakfast in which they expressed their agreement to organize a conference on Afghanistan in Istanbul on November 2. 
In their statement, the participants reaffirmed their respect to Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
The participants expressed their support for transfer of all responsibilities to the Afghans by 2014, and said a secure, stable and prosperous Afghanistan was vital for everybody's peace and stability but such an atmosphere could only be ensured within a wide framework reflecting friendship and cooperation.
In the statement, the participants expressed their commitment to long-term dialogue and cooperation with Afghanistan, and supported peace, compromise and re-integration process. 
The statement said an enforced synergy would be the key of a lasting peace and stability, and expressed the compromise of the participants to launch preparations for an "Istanbul Conference on Afghanistan" to take place on November 2, 2011. 
Earlier on Tuesday, diplomats said Turkey, which was attaching importance to settlement of lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan, was therefore trying to create a synergy among countries neighboring and surrounding Afghanistan.
Turkey is also trying to encourage those countries to cooperate in order to contribute to Afghanistan.
In this context, Ankara thinks that further development of common principles and vision stated in the Istanbul Declaration following the "Istanbul Conference on Afghanistan" on January 26, 2010, will constitute the basis for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.