Turkish foreign minister meets his Indian counterpart

ANKARA

In Tajikistan for a regional conference, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday met with a number of his counterparts, including India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Afterwards, Cavusoglu said on Twitter: "Discussed our relations and regional developments w/Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar of #India."

Turkey and India decided to "develop our relations particularly in economy and trade," he added.

Jaishankar also said on Twitter: "Our discussions focused on Afghanistan-related developments and our bilateral relations."

Cavusoglu also met with his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Haneef Atmar.

"Evaluated peace process in #Afghanistan with my Afghan counterpart, my brother @MHaneefAtmar," he said on Twitter.

The two discussed preparations for a meeting to be held in Istanbul, he said, adding they will continue to support "peace and stabilization efforts for Afghanistan."

After a separate meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Cavusoglu said: "We are pleased that the travel passport-free between the two countries [will begin] as of April 1. Our strong cooperation will continue in all areas."

Cavusoglu and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi also discussed bilateral relations and the latest developments in the Afghan peace process.

Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process

Cavusoglu on Sunday arrived in the Central Asian country for a three-day official visit to attend the 9th Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process, set for Tuesday.

The regional initiative of Afghanistan and Turkey, launched in 2011, has two chairs: permanent chair Afghanistan, and a different co-chair from among the member states each year.

It aims to promote regional security and economic and political cooperation centered on Afghanistan through dialogue and confidence-building measures.

According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Turkey ranked third among the countries which assisted Tajikistan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The total value of Turkish investments in the country between 2009 and 2019 was $200 million. In 2020 the bilateral trade volume was $322 million.