Draft Dushanbe declaration discussed at Heart of Asia meeting

The first day of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) summit was held between Deputy Foreign Ministers of the participating countries in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, Monday, where all officials emphasized the need for accelerating the Afghan peace process.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the participating and supporting countries, international and regional organizations, international financial institutions, the Tajikistan Foreign Ministry said.

“Participants discussed the draft final document of the Ninth Ministerial Conference ‘Heart of Asia – the Istanbul Process’ – the Dushanbe Declaration,” the ministry added.

The participants also stressed the need for a regional consensus and to put pressure on the Taliban to end the long-term war in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan Deputy Foreign Minister Mirwais Nab urged influential countries to force the Taliban to call a ceasefire.

“International consensus is not only important for peace in Afghanistan but also for creating a unified vision of regional connectivity and glory. As we emphasized at the Ministerial Meeting in Kabul that the Afghan peace process is an opportunity for all of us to find a common vision for regional connectivity, cooperation, and economic development,” Nab stated.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister of Tajikistan Khosrow Nazeri called on the participating countries not to leave Afghanistan alone at this crucial moment.

“We, the representatives of the participating countries, strongly support bringing peace and power to the region and Afghanistan,” Nazeri said.

He added that the Istanbul process is a very important ground for preparing the region “to pay more attention to the Afghan peace process.”

The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process was founded on November 2, 2011, in Istanbul, Turkey.

The organization was established to address the shared challenges and interests of Afghanistan and its neighbors and regional partners.

The Heart of Asia is comprised of 15 participating countries are Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Russian, Pakistan, China, UAE, and Saudi Arabia