ISLAMABAD (Daily Times) -- Officials of Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan on Friday resolved to make joint efforts to fight terrorism, extremism and other trans-regional crimes through increased cooperation.

The officials met to consider preparations of an Afghanistan-Iran-Pakistan trilateral summit in Tehran next month, which will aim at forging mutual understanding on key issues threatening regional peace and stability.
“The three sides underscored their strong resolve to fight terrorism and extremism, combat the drug trade and organized crime, and promote trans-regional development cooperation,” a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting said.
Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Kabir Farahi, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhundzadeh, and Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir led their respective countries.
The statement said the meeting agreed on pursuing a common vision for peace, security, stability and prosperity of the region by enhancing partnership on the basis of mutual interest and mutual respect and in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter.
It said the three sides stressed the need for a people-centric regional approach, based on the region’s history, culture, heritage and traditions.
They also agreed to prioritize cooperation in the political, economic, development, reconstruction, and social sectors and decided to prepare a framework of cooperation and pragmatic plan of action in this regard.
Later, Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Farahi and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Akhoundzadeh met Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
The foreign minister Qureshi expressed hope that the trilateral summit process, initiated on the sidelines of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit in Tehran in March, would be vigorously pursued.
Qureshi said terrorism, extremism, drugs and human trafficking and trans-border organized crime could only be dealt with through a comprehensive regional approach.
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