Afghan, Iranian presidents to arrive in Pakistan on Thursday
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to arrive in Pakistan for trilateral talks.
ISLAMABAD:
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are set to arrive in Pakistan on Thursday for trilateral talks between the three countries.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Basit had last week said that Pakistan will host the leaders of Afghanistan and Iran at a summit devoted to counter-terrorism.
It had also been reported earlier that Afghan President Hamid Karzai will press Pakistan to provide access to senior Afghan Taliban leaders when he visits Islamabad.
Pakistan and Iran are also expected to hold talks on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline on the sidelines. Despite strong US objections, Pakistan says it is pressing ahead with a multi-billion-dollar project to build a gas pipeline to import fuel from Iran. In the deal signed in 2010, Iran has agreed to supply natural gas to its eastern neighbour from 2014.
The talks come at a time of heightened tension between Iran and the United States, notably over speculation about a possible Israeli attack against Iran’s controversial nuclear programme.
It also comes with Afghanistan keen to start peace talks with Taliban insurgents. Kabul is reportedly concerned about being sidelined by contacts between the US and the Taliban.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are set to arrive in Pakistan on Thursday for trilateral talks between the three countries.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Basit had last week said that Pakistan will host the leaders of Afghanistan and Iran at a summit devoted to counter-terrorism.
It had also been reported earlier that Afghan President Hamid Karzai will press Pakistan to provide access to senior Afghan Taliban leaders when he visits Islamabad.
Pakistan and Iran are also expected to hold talks on the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline on the sidelines. Despite strong US objections, Pakistan says it is pressing ahead with a multi-billion-dollar project to build a gas pipeline to import fuel from Iran. In the deal signed in 2010, Iran has agreed to supply natural gas to its eastern neighbour from 2014.
The talks come at a time of heightened tension between Iran and the United States, notably over speculation about a possible Israeli attack against Iran’s controversial nuclear programme.
It also comes with Afghanistan keen to start peace talks with Taliban insurgents. Kabul is reportedly concerned about being sidelined by contacts between the US and the Taliban.