Turkish foreign minister meets Indian counterpart

In Tajikistan for a regional conference, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on March 29 met with a number of his counterparts, including India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Afterwards, Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter: "Discussed our relations and regional developments w/Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar of #India." 

Turkey and India decided to "develop our relations particularly in economy and trade," he added. 

Jaishankar also said on Twitter: "Our discussions focused on Afghanistan-related developments and our bilateral relations." 

Çavuşoğlu also met with his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Haneef Atmar.

"Evaluated peace process in #Afghanistan with my Afghan counterpart, my brother @MHaneefAtmar," he said on Twitter. 

The two discussed preparations for a meeting to be held in Istanbul, he said, adding they will continue to support "peace and stabilization efforts for Afghanistan."

After a separate meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Çavuşoğlu said: "We are pleased that the travel passport-free between the two countries [will begin] as of April 1. Our strong cooperation will continue in all areas."

Çavuşoğlu and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi also discussed bilateral relations and the latest developments in the Afghan peace process. 

Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process

Çavuşoğlu on Sunday arrived in the Central Asian country for a three-day official visit to attend the 9th Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process, set for Tuesday.

The regional initiative of Afghanistan and Turkey, launched in 2011, has two chairs: permanent chair Afghanistan, and a different co-chair from among the member states each year.

It aims to...