About: The Heart of Asia or Istanbul Process
Established a platform to address regional issues, encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries
Key areas: Expand cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours in challenging counterterrorism, counternarcotics, Poverty and Extremism.
Cooperation Directorate –Â Kabul, Afghanistan
India hosts Heart of Asia Conference on 26th April 2016
Venue: New Delhi
Objective:
- Bringing peace and Stability to Afghanistan and enhancing up its reconstruction
- Focusing on investment growth and connectivity to the country
Delegates: Officials of a number of countries including Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry
Issues discussed: Combating challenge of extremism and terrorism
The key elements
- Formulate a sustained, incremental approach to implementation of the confidence building measures (CBM) in Afghanistan
- The authorities are encouraged to work with full cooperation during the conference.
- Energy, infrastructure and investment deals to enhance economic growth of Afghanistan
India hosted the senior officials meeting of the Heart of Asia in January 2014 in New Delhi and is decided to host the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia conference in the April 2016.
Participating countries:
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and UAE
Supporting countries:
Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Iraq, Japan, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, U.K., U.S. and the E.U
