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Summary The third trilateral summit of Pakistan Iran and Afghanistan will be held next week in Islamabad.
The third trilateral will discuss the regional security situation.President Asif Ali Zardari‚ Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad will attend the summit and discuss the host of issues pertaining to regional peace‚ security and stability.At the weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday‚ Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said it is important for the three sides to get together and discuss the important issues faced by the region including the transnational organized crimes.Responding to a question about the US pressure on Islamabad for pulling out of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project‚ the foreign office spokesman said there is no change and shift in our policy on the gas pipeline project. He said Pakistan is committed to the completion of the gas pipeline project by 2014. This project‚ he said‚ is important for our economy and meets the energy deficit.Abdul Basit said during the visit of Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar to Moscow‚ Russia has expressed its interest in financing different energy related projects including CASA 1000 and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India [TAPI] gas pipeline project. He said Pakistan would also welcome Russias or any other countrys investment in important Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project.When asked about the US-Taliban talks in Qatar‚ Abdul Basit said Pakistan has been kept informed of these talks through the diplomatic channels. He said as far as the visit of Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani to Qatar is concerned‚ it was purely a bilateral visit aimed at further strengthening relationship in different fields.There was no meeting of the Prime Minister and the Taliban in Qatar. He said during talks with the Qatari leadership‚ Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani discussed the regional situation including the Afghan issue.
