Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 1
Trend:
The 7th Ministerial Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HoA), titled “Security and Economic Connectivity towards a Strengthened Heart of Asia Region”, has kicked off in Baku Dec. 1.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has participated in the conference.
President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani also joined the conference.
Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani declared the conference open and thanked the government of Azerbaijan for the hospitality.
The head of state made a speech at the event.
President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the ongoing development processes in Azerbaijan, the country's international cooperation, the economic projects implemented in Azerbaijan, and noted the importance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Azerbaijan's involvement in peacekeeping operations, and the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The head of state also provided an insight into the anti-corruption measures in Azerbaijan, the establishment of "ASAN service" centers and their provision of transparent services to the population.
Mohammad Ashraf Ghani then addressed the conference. He hailed the Azerbaijani peacekeepers' contribution towards ensuring his country's security.
President Ashraf Ghani praised the economic development of Azerbaijan, the growth of the gross domestic product, and the implementation of sustainable reforms in the country. The Afghan President thanked the leaders and people of the countries who supported the "Heart of Asia" - Istanbul Process.
The Afghan head of state pointed out the work done by Afghanistan in the fight against terrorism and the steps taken towards ensuring the country`s development. He said terrorism is a threat to international peace and security.
The 7th Ministerial Conference is attended by representatives of states and organizations that are members of the “Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process” – president and foreign minister of Afghanistan, foreign ministers of Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Indian minister of state for External Affairs, deputy foreign ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, special representatives of Russia and China on Afghanistan, delegations of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, as well as the special representative of the UN Secretary General on Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Meanwhile, representatives of countries supporting the Istanbul Process, such as the UK Prime Minister's Special Representative for Afghanistan , the US State Department representative for South and Central Asia, special representatives of Japan, Spain and Norway for Afghanistan, high-level delegations from the foreign ministries of Italy, Canada, Denmark, France, Finland, Poland, Egypt, Sweden and other countries are participating in the event.
From the international organizations supporting the Istanbul Process, the event is being attended by the Estonian foreign minister (European Union), the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, secretary generals of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and the Turkic Council, president of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, deputy secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), deputy executive director of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), deputy secretary general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and representatives of other international institutions.
More than 250 delegates are taking part in the ministerial conference.
