Mr. Zarif and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai met on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Conference in Amritsar, Punjab, India. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that they discussed prospects of better ties in security, political, and economic fields. Zarif arrived in Amritsar Saturday morning and contributed to the conference.
The Heart of Asia was established to provide a platform to discuss regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbors. This region-led dialogue was launched in November 2011 to expand practical coordination between Afghanistan and its neighbors and regional partners in facing common threats, including counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, poverty, and extremism. The United States and over 20 other nations and organizations serve as “supporting nations” to the process.
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