Gul calls for regional coaliton to protect Afghanistan

The presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan said on Tuesday that they hope the trilateral summit between the two countries and Turkey leads to a reduction of recently flared-up tensions.  

The sixth trilateral summit between Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan, hosted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Tuesday in Beşiktaş, concluded with the three countries signing agreements and memoranda of understanding for cooperation in various areas and expressing willingness to join hands in working towards peace and security in the region.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in a statement to the Financial Times, said the trilateral summit between Turkey, Pakistan and Afghanistan comes at a “critical” time due to the increasing tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Gul and Karzai said one of the most important results of the trilateral summit was the creation of a joint mechanism between the Afghan and Pakistani governments' intelligence officials on the assassination of Rabbani. “If there is tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan, there cannot be a healthy transition,” Davutoglu said, referring to the Afghan security forces' plans to assume responsibility for the security of the country as foreign troops pull out of the country.