By Xinhua,
Ankara : The presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to improve the bilateral ties between the two neighboring countries, said a joint statement released on Friday.
The statement was issued after a three-way meeting between Turkish President Abdullah Gul, and his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari in Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul.
The statement said the Afghan and Pakistani presidents reaffirmed willingness of their countries to boost friendly relations and had sincere and useful exchanges of views focusing on bilateral and international issues.
“They exchanged views on expanding their bilateral ties in various fields. They underlined the importance of frequent high level visits between the two countries,” it added.
The statement said the presidents expressed their will to continue with a comprehensive cooperation in all areas so as to contribute to peace, security and stability in the region.
“Both countries had extensive consultations on regional issues in the Middle East, Caucasia, West and South Asia,” the statement noted.
“With regard to the Mumbai tragedy, the two presidents shared the sorrow and expressed their solidarity with the people of India. They also reiterated their condemnation of these abhorrent terrorist attacks in the strongest terms, as the two countries themselves suffered from terrorism,” the statement said.
The meeting, aimed at easing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad, is the second round of talks in a move to bring the two neighbors closer, said the semi-official Anatolia news agency.
Bilateral relations, further coordination and economic cooperation between the countries also topped Friday’s agenda, Anatolia said.
The first summit was held in Ankara in April last year, which enabled Karzai and then Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to discuss stepping up joint efforts for regional security.
Earlier on Friday, U.S. President George W. Bush thanked Gul over phone for his efforts to promote greater cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pakistan’s northwestern tribal regions became a stronghold for hundreds of Taliban militants who fled Afghanistan after the U.S.-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in late 2001.
The United States and Afghanistan have long accused Pakistan of failing to take action against Taliban militants and even colluding with them.
Islamabad rejects the accusation and has mounted military operations against militants in the region.
Karzai has recently forged a closer relationship of cooperation with Pakistan’s new president Zardari than with former president Musharraf, especially in dealing with cross-border infiltration of fighters and equipment.
Drawing on its traditionally close ties with both Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkey has pushed for better ties between the two countries.
Karzai and Zardari arrived in Istanbul late Thursday for the trilateral summit.