Preparations for Istanbul conference discussed

KABUL):  A day-long meeting, aimed at discussing preparations for the upcoming Istanbul conference, was held in the capital Kabul on Saturday, with representatives and ambassadors from 26 countries in attendance.

Slated for November 2, the regional cooperation conference will deliberate on issues relating to the security transition in Afghanistan, including the recruitment, training and equipment of Afghan forces, as well as the reconciliation process.

The conference will also focus on building up trust among regional and Central Asian countries for greater cooperation in the field of security.

Chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Javed Ludin, the meeting was attended by representatives from the UN, Central Asia, India, Pakistan, Iran, the European Union, the US, Canada, Italy, France and other countries.

Ludin said the meeting was held to create a joint vision for preparing a regional cooperation draft, to be discussed in Istanbul. Representatives from regional countries would seek ways of making the conference a success, he added.

A team of representatives from Afghanistan, Turkey and the United Nations was appointed to prepare a draft for the Istanbul conference with regard to the viewpoints of the attendees, the deputy minister explained.

After a day-long Oslo meeting on September 30, which was organised by the Norwegian government on a request from Turkey and Afghanistan, the Kabul meeting was the second preparatory session held ahead of the Istanbul meet. Representatives from 15 countries, including Ludin, had participated in that meeting.

myn/mbg/mud

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