Islamabad: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived here yesterday for a two-day visit to attend the Pakistan-Iran-Afghanistan summit aimed at enhancing cooperation for peace and security in the region.
Earlier in the day, Afghan President Hamid Karzai flew into the Pakistani capital. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani welcomed the visiting heads of state at the President House.
Karzai and Gilani held a meeting during which they discussed the regional situation and bilateral ties and ongoing efforts for restoring peace in conflict-hit Afghanistan, officials said.
President Zardari was to host a banquet for the Iranian and Afghan leaders and the trilateral summit will be held today.
Afghanistan is likely to be the focus of the summit, whose agenda includes border management, cooperation on counter-terrorism and combating trans-national organised crimes, including drug and human trafficking.
‘Brotherly neighbours'
"Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran are brotherly neighbours. Their multi-faceted cooperation is essential to address the challenges and exploit opportunities in our common region," foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit told the media.
He expressed the hope that the summit would be a significant step in promoting the agenda of regional peace, stability and prosperity.
The head of Afghan section at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohsen Pak-Aeen, was quoted by Mehr News Agency of Iran as having said: "Tehran has a positive view on the trilateral summit... in line with the efforts to promote peace in Afghanistan."
President Ahmadinejad is expected to focus on energy cooperation with Pakistan. He is likely to seek concrete assurances from the Pakistani leadership that Islamabad will not backtrack on a gas pipeline and electricity import projects because of pressure from the United States.
President Karzai is expected to seek Pakistan's support for peace talks with Afghan insurgent leaders. Pakistan has frequently expressed its resolve to support Afghan-led and Afghan-owned efforts for reconciliation with the Taliban.
— With inputs from AP
