The meeting of the technical groups on the Confidence Building Measures – Regional Infrastructure of the member states of the Istanbul Process on cooperation on Afghanistan took place in Ashgabat, Turkmen Foreign Ministry announced Friday.
The heads and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, authorized representatives of the Istanbul Process participating states, as well as the international organizations supporting the initiative participated in the session held at Yyldyz hotel.
During his speech, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Vepa Hajiyev noted that the infrastructural projects serve as the determining factor for security and stability in Afghanistan.
According to the report, on the national level, special attention is paid to the implementation of such projects as the construction of Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan power transmission line.
The participants of the meeting considered the implementation of projects and agreements, exchanged views on current state of affairs in the region and agreed to continue the activities aimed at the attainment of the main goal of the Istanbul Process – further promotion of regional cooperation, economic and political collaboration with the focus on Afghanistan through the dialogue and confidence building measures.
The Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process was established in 2011 to provide a platform to discuss regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbors. The Heart of Asia is comprised of 15 participating countries, 17 supporting countries, and 12 supporting regional and international organizations.
