Afghan, Pakistani and Turkish leaders meet for new round of trilateral summit

Turkey on Thursday hosts leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan at a trilateral summit in the Turkish capital of Ankara, seeking further cooperation on security in Afghanistan. Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Turkish President Abdullah Gul will also discuss security cooperation and economic development partnership in the region. The summit, whose theme is "Sustainable Peace in the Heart of Asia," is taking place against the backdrop of political transition in Afghanistan, including presidential and provincial council elections in April and the withdrawal of NATO forces by end of year. On the sidelines of the two-day summit, the Turkish president will be meeting with the Pakistani prime minister and his Afghan counterpart, while foreign ministers, military officials and businessmen from the three countries will meet in separate sessions. The first trilateral summit was held in 2007 to present a platform for cooperation on security, economy, education, inter- parliamentary cooperation aiming to promote dialogue and trust particularly between Afghanistan and Pakistan through Turkey as a facilitator.