U.S. welcomes Istanbul agreement to support Afghan future

The U.S. welcomed the agreement between Afghanistan and its neighbors reached in the Istanbul conference which is designed to garner international support for the stability and rebuilding of the war-ravaged country, the State Department said in a statement on Wednesday. "Afghanistan's neighbors and near-neighbors have come together to offer support to a sovereign, independent, and democratic Afghanistan," the statement said. "They have endorsed Afghan priorities including Afghan-led reconciliation, transition to Afghan security leadership, and regionally integrated economic growth," it said. The statement came after 14 countries, including Pakistan, India and China, participated in a conference in Istanbul on Wednesday and reached an agreement on the so-called Process on Regional Security and Cooperation for a Secure and Stable Afghanistan. The statement said the U.S. was pleased to participate in this conference to show support to the process, pledging to continue to offer support to Afghanistan as commitments of the declaration are followed up. "We look forward to the Bonn Conference for Afghanistan on December 5, at which we will urge the international community to build on these regional efforts by making our long-term commitment to Afghanistan clearer and more specific," the statement added.