Stage set for Heart of Asia Conference

KABUL’s future is set to begin in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

On Thursday, senior officials finalised preparations for the Heart-of-Asia Conference in the Kazakh capital as part of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan.

One key target of the meeting is to agree on the text of the Almaty Declaration and other documents of the main ministerial-level meeting, the ministry said.

Kazakhstan Foreign Minister Erlan Idrisov held a series of meetings with heads of foreign delegations, including Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary General Dmitry Mezentsev.

The discussions focused on the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug trafficking and cybercrime, the statement added.

Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul and Idrisov discussed the future direction of bilateral cooperation and issues of regional cooperation ahead of the withdrawal of ISAF troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

Both sides expressed their willingness to continue constructive cooperation on regional security in the framework of the Istanbul process and confirmed their mutual interest in further deepening relations between the two countries.

Another important meeting was held between Idrisov and UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative Jan Kubis. They discussed the international community’s efforts to rebuild Afghanistan, noting the need to further promote socio-economic recovery of the country.

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