A group of 15 countries met in Kabul on 14 June to discuss a number of regional security issues, principal among them the stabilization and future of Afghanistan. It is the second meeting of the so-called ‘Heart of Asia' countries, who met previously in Istanbul in November 2011, and which includes Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, China and India. Representatives of other stakeholder countries and a dozen regional and international organizations also attended, including the United States, Britain, Germany, the United Nations, the European Union and NATO.
According to press reports, the topics discussed were widespread but with a focus on Afghanistan's future after the 2014 NATO pull-out. Of particular salience were future regional cooperation and ongoing discussions regarding peace talks with the Taliban. Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to continue to support the peace process and indicated that Salahuddin Rabbani, the head of the high peace council -- the Afghan body tasked with leading the discussions with the Taliban -- would soon travel to the two countries.
Rabbani is the son of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was killed by a Taliban suicide bomber in September 2011. The group will meet for a follow-up conference in Tokyo in July.
The wide-ranging conference declaration emphasised that Afghanistan's security situation depended decisively on the emergence of positive economic development in the country.