Turkey, Pakistan to host trilateral summit on Afghan peace reconciliation

Pakistan and Turkey will be hosting a trilateral summit with Afghanistan in Istanbul to discuss on sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Tolo News reported that the bilateral talks would commence as the local elections conclude in Turkey in March.

Addressing a joint press conference in Turkey with his counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said, "The people of Afghanistan have been suffering for over three decades. Pakistan is already helping dialogue between the Taliban and Americans. I look forward to the summit meeting in Istanbul, where we hope that Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey will be able to help in this peace process."

"Acknowledged that sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan could be achieved through reconciliation of all segments of the Afghan society with the support of the regional countries and the international community," read a press statement released by Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Ministry on January 4.

This comes as Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara on Friday.

During the meeting, Khan and Erdogan further extended strong mutual support to one another on all issues of core national interest and expressed commitment to further enhance their bilateral relations in every field to the benefit of their peoples, the statement said.

The leaders also reiterated the importance of the Turkey-Pakistan High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council mechanism and discussed on expanding defence and defence industry cooperation a strengthening the existing economic, trade and commercial relations between the two countries.