Zarif Arrives in India’s Amritsar for ‘Heart of Asia’ Meeting
AMRITSAR (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in India’s northern city of Amritsar on Saturday to join representatives from nearly 40 countries and leading groups, like the European Union, for the 6th conference of the ‘Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process’.
According to Tasnim dispatches, the top Iranian diplomat left New Delhi for Amritsar, in the state of Punjab, after attending a meeting of Iranian and Indian business people and delivering a speech to a gathering of Indian intellectuals.
Held on the theme of “Addressing Challenges, Achieving Prosperity”, the heart of Asia conference explores ways to effectively deal with the threat of terrorism in the region, with a focus on Afghanistan.
Senior officials from 14 member countries, including China and Russia, and representatives of 17 supporting nations will attend the conference to discuss the issues facing the region.
Founded in 2011, the Istanbul Process provides an agenda for regional cooperation in the ‘heart of Asia’ by placing Afghanistan at its center and engaging the regional countries in sincere cooperation for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, as well as a secure and prosperous region as a whole, according to its official website.
The 14 members of the body include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates.
There are also 17 countries and 11 international organizations ‘supporting’ the Istanbul process, including the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
