One endeavor in that regard is cooperation in the field of education. According to the joint statement of the ministers of education of the three countries, they have a memorandum of understanding to establish mechanisms in the areas of vocational training, exchange programs, scholarships, training teachers, fighting illiteracy and overcoming gender disparity.
In a press briefing prior to the tripartite summit, Engin Soysal, former ambassador to Pakistan, told reporters in response to questions that having Islamic religious schools in those countries was not in their joint statement, but their talks might include such a conversation.
Stressing that this, their fourth summit, is comprehensive, Soysal added that another dimension in the summit is increasing economic cooperation. In that regard, officials seek to improve the capacities of the chambers of commerce and their cooperation in the three countries. Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu gave a presentation at the summit in the afternoon.
Senior Pakistani railway officials are also in attendance at the summit to talk about the details of a Turkey-Iran-Pakistan line. The countries had agreed in March of last year to conduct container train service from İstanbul to Islamabad via Tehran in the first phase of their plan and passenger train service in the second phase. The first train arrived in Islamabad from İstanbul on Aug. 14.
Another important element the summit focused on was establishing security. Senior officials from the general staffs of the three countries and chiefs of intelligence units are meeting to discuss that issue. Training more police officers is one topic of discussion.
However, having Turkish troops involved in military operations in Afghanistan is not a possibility, Soysal said when asked.
At the core is creating an atmosphere of reconciliation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, a key ally of the United States in its battle to crush the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and destroy the al-Qaeda network in tribal areas near the Afghan-Pakistani border.
Asked if Turkey is considering having talks with Taliban's civilian officials, Soysal said this is about “Afghan ownership.”
“Afghan ownership is the key word. This should be an Afghan-driven initiative,” he said, referring to a speech made by Afghan President Hamid Karzai during his Nov. 19 inauguration.
“The first of his six headings in that speech was the element of peace and reconciliation,” he said. Soysal said poverty and a lack of services provide a fertile ground for extremists, and it is therefore important for international bodies to provide basic services. The Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) is there for that purpose, he said.
“Sometimes TİKA is involved in mundane jobs such as digging up wells so people can have water,” Soysal added.
Hosted by President Abdullah Gül, the summit will also be home today to another cooperation initiative, called the “Summit of Friendship and Cooperation in the Heart of Asia.” Aside from the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan, high-level officials from neighboring countries such as China, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will also attend the meeting.
Today's participants at the summit also include Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi and British Foreign Minister David Miliband. President Gül had bilateral talks both with Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari yesterday morning. The level of rapprochement between Afghanistan and Pakistan was quite warm as Zardari and Karzai met for five hours upon their arrival in a relaxed atmosphere at their hotel, Soysal said.
Noting that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had bilateral discussions with both leaders, Soysal stressed the “family atmosphere” among the leaders and officials.
“Turkish-Afghan relations are people-to-people, unique relations. Turkish-Pakistani friendship is unique and goes back a long time,” he said. “Turkey has a unique position to be able to do that.”
The first of these summits was held in Ankara in April 2007 and focused on security. The second one, mainly about economic relations, took place in İstanbul in December 2008. The third was organized in Ankara in April of last year and focused on security and intelligence. Soysal said the fourth summit, which will end today, is the most comprehensive of all.
