On the basis of the agreement reached between the Heads of States of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in March 2009 along the sidelines of the 10th ECO Summit in Tehran, regarding periodic meetings of senior officials of the three –states on strengthening and expansion of cooperation in various fields, and following the tri-lateral meeting of Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the three-states held in Islamabad, the first tri-lateral meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, was  held on 28 April 2009 in Kabul;

The meeting took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The three Foreign Ministers recalled religious, historical and cultural ties between the three countries.  They recognized that the three countries and the region face common and serious challenges, and in that regard, emphasised the need to expand trilateral cooperation in various fields, including political, economic, cultural, security and other relevant regional and international issues; 

At the conclusion of the meeting, the three sides:

1) Reiterated the importance of trilateral political dialogue and cooperation on regional and international issues of mutual interest;

2) Expressed their strong commitment to redouble their efforts, utilizing the potentials of the three countries, in addressing these challenges for the welfare and prosperity of their peoples;

3) Underscored the need for enhanced cooperation against terrorism, extremism, trafficking of narcotics and regional and international organized crime for strengthening peace, stability, security and advancing economic development in the region;

4) Reaffirmed the importance of strengthened and expansion of economic/trade cooperation and transit between the three countries;

5) Agreed to exchange and promote trade and transit facilities among the three countries, with due regard to the special needs of the land-locked countries, in accordance with the ECO recommendations, particularly the Joint Declaration of the 10th ECO Summit as well as relevant regional and international conventions;

6) Recognized the need to facilitate and expedite customs transactions to ensure effective and efficient delivery of goods and services;

7) Agreed also to promote preferential trade-arrangements between the three countries, and to further strengthen the existing regional agreements and frameworks and remove trade imbalances;

8) Underlined the need to construct, in an expedited manner, railways and roads as link networks for enhancing trade, economic growth and strengthened regional cooperation between the three countries;

9) Affirmed the need to operationalize designated projects for transfer of electricity from Central Asia to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan through Afghanistan;

10)  Reiterated the importance of joint cooperation in the field of agriculture;

11)  Emphasized joint cooperation to facilitate investment in various fields, in conformity with the national legislation of the three countries, for voluntary participation in relevant auctions;

12)   Agreed to establish joint training centres aimed at achieving a proficient labour force for formulation of relevant projects between the three countries;

13)  Highlighted the importance of consolidating relations between the three countries, including people to people contact, as an important measure to bring to an end trafficking of human beings and, in that regard, agreed to identify additional measures to ensure safe and legal movement  of their citizens;

14) Emphasized enhanced cooperation and coordination of activities in various fields, including Culture, Education, Higher-Education, Health and Scientific Research;

15)   Acknowledged with great importance to need to enhance cooperation for controlling the spread of transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Typhoid, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis;

16)  Agreed to hold periodic meetings of Foreign Ministers of the three countries in their respective countries;

17)  Agreed to hold the Second Trilateral Summit in Tehran, Iran within one month;

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan expressed profound gratitude for the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for hosting the First Trilateral Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the respective countries;

This Joint Statement, contained in 18 paragraphs, is adopted in Kabul, on the 27th of April 2009 in two originals, Dari/Persian and English, both texts being equally authentic.

 

H.E. Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta        H.E. Manuchir Mottaki     H.E. Makhdoom S. Mahmood Qureishi
Minister of Foreign Affairs              Minister of Foreign             Minister of Foreign Affairs  
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan      Islamic Republic of Iran         Islamic Republic of Pakistan

 

Kabul, 27 April 2009.

 

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