5th Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process concluded in Islamabad

The two-day 5th Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process was concluded on 9 December 2015 in Islamabad, Pakistan. The event was jointly inaugurated by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani.

The event was attended by high-ranking delegations from 14 participating states, 17 supporting countries and 12 international and regional organisations. And, the Indian delegation was headed by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Key facts related to the conference

Theme: Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process: Enhanced cooperation for countering security threats and promoting connectivity in the Heart of Asia region.

Objective: To increase cooperation for countering security threats and promotion of connectivity in the region.

Focus areas: The participating countries deliberated on following key areas to enhance bilateral and multilateral cooperation-

• Counter Terrorism
• Counter Narcotics
• Disaster Management
• Education
• Trade and Investment
• Regional infrastructure

About Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process

• It was established in Istanbul, the capital city of Turkey, in November 2011.
• The primary purpose of the initiative is to enhance regional security and cooperation for a secure and stable Afghanistan and extended neighbourhood.
• The annual ministerial conference is the major forum wherein the functioning of the organisation is discussed and future course of action suggested.
• Previous ministerial conferences were held in – Istanbul (2011), Kabul (2012), Almaty in Kazakhstan (2013) and Beijing (2014).
• 14 Member states: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and UAE.

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