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TEHRAN, May 24 (APP)‑ Pakistan,
Iran and Afghanistan on Sunday reaffirmed their deep commitment to make every
effort to eliminate extremism, militancy and terrorism from the region, stated a
joint communique issued at the conclusion of one‑day trilateral summit. The communique was signed by
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and
Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
It was agreed at the summit,
which Tehran hosted, to address the root causes of terrorism and extremism,
which are in stark contrast with the spirit of Islam and rich cultural
traditions and customs of the region.
According to the joint
communique, the three neighbours agreed to establish a mechanism for holding
regular and periodical trilateral consultations on special issues.
These consultations will be
attended by senior officials, foreign ministers and the heads of the state, or
government of the three countries.
It was agreed to encourage
cultural interactions, including exchange of parliamentary delegations,
intellectuals, academicians etc. as well as promotion of people to people
contacts.
The three countries agreed to
strengthen trilateral cooperation to counter production and smuggling of
narcotics and psychotropic substances and their illicit trafficking.
It was agreed to promote
trilateral cooperation among the relevant institutions of the three countries to
counter organised crimes such as illegal human trafficking, money laundering and
arms smuggling.
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Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan
agreed to exchange experiences, information as well as embark on concerted
efforts towards socio‑economic development in the region.
It was agreed to plan and
implement trilateral economic projects in different areas including energy,
transportation, industries, mining, agriculture, cattle‑breeding and
environment.
Urgent steps will be taken for
development of the infrastructure connectivity between the three countries which
include construction of roads, railways and improving the existing ones.
The three countries will also
collaborate closely in establishing and developing energy corridors in the
region, including oil and gas pipelines and electricity networks.
Trilateral economic,
industrial, planning commission and chambers of commerce will also be
established.
The involvement of private
sectors of the three countries will be encouraged in regional development
programmes.
It was agreed to encourage ECO
member states for the establishment of a free trade area in the region by 2015
as a priority task, which has been agreed in the 10th ECO Summit in
Tehran this year.
The three countries agreed to
coordinate and to pursue projects for trans‑regional cooperation especially with
the framework of ECO and OIC.
The three sides agreed to
promote cooperation in the areas of education, health, sports, culture and art.
It was agreed to create pull
factors in Afghanistan for the voluntary and dignified return of refugees with
the sustained and enhanced support of the international community and UNHCR.
The three sides agreed for the
voluntary return of Afghan specialists to their homeland in order to assist
rapid reconstruction of the country by attracting cooperation of the relevant
international organisations such as UNHCR.
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Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan
emphasized the importance of reconstruction process in Afghanistan in order to
achieve sustainable peace and economic development in that country with the
support of international community.
The three sides emphasized
further effective measures for implementation of bilateral, trilateral and
multilateral agreements on trade and transit of goods between and through their
countries.
The three sides reiterated
their commitment to establish joint training centers aimed at achieving a
proficient labor force.
They welcomed the World Bank
offer of assistance to develop a plan jointly with the customs authorities of
Afghanistan and Pakistan and Afghanistan and Iran to share customs information
electronically.
It was agreed to establish a
working group in order to conduct a feasibility study for setting up a Joint
Investment Fund among the three countries.
It will follow up the adopted
decisions by their leaders and also financially support the trilateral projects.
The cases for using the resources of this fund will be determined by the
relevant authorities of the three countries.
It was agreed to establish a
trilateral coordination committee at the level of deputy foreign ministers of
the three countries to prepare a comprehensive action plan to monitor the
progress of trilateral cooperation.
The three countries will also
invite, if required and by consensus, other countries to the future Summits
under the trilateral process.
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