Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, revealed the details of HoA-IP in his interview to APA.

What is the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process and what decision was taken at the Ministerial Conference held in India?

Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process 6th Ministerial Conference held in Amritsar, India on 4 December 2016 in final Amritsar Declaration welcomed the willingness of Republic of Azerbaijan to host the next Ministerial Conference of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process as Co-chair in 2017.

The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) was founded on November 2nd, 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. HoA-IP is an important regional platform for political dialogue and close regional cooperation aimed at promoting stability, peace and prosperity in Afghanistan and the entire Heart of Asia region, and for enhancing Afghanistan`s connectivity with the entire Heart of Asia region.

Which countries are involved in HoA-IP and what is activity mechanism of this process?

HoA-IP participating states are the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Republic of Azerbaijan, People`s Republic of China, Republic of India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Russian Federation, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Nations. The process is also supported by wide range of other countries and international and regional organizations such as Commonwealth of Australia, Canada, Royal Kingdom of Denmark, Arab Republic of Egypt, European Union, Republic of Finland, Republic of France, Federal Republic of Germany, Republic of Iraq, Republic of Italy, Japan, Republic of Poland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Collective Security Treaty Organizations (CSTO), Economic Cooperation Organizations (ECO), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Conferences of Foreign Ministers, meetings of senior officials and special working groups are considered HoA-IP decision-making bodies. The annual Conference of Foreign Ministers is held by a country assuming the presidency for next period. The Istanbul Process held its first ministerial meeting in Istanbul on November 2, 2011, the second meeting in Kabul on June 14, 2012, the third meeting in in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on April 26, 2013, the forth meeting in Beijing on October 31, 2014, the fifth meeting in Islamabad, on December 9, 2015 and the last meeting in Amritsar, India.

HoA-IP in its Ministerial Statements, including in Amritsar Declaration recognized once again that terrorism, violent extremism, radicalization, separatism, and sectarianism and linkages among them are the gravest challenges that the Heart of Asia region and the rest of the international community face, and these problems would continue to pose a severe threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, economic development and bilateral and regional cooperation.

What measures are Azerbaijan taking for Afghanistan`s stability and development within HoA-IP and how is the country contributing to the process?

Azerbaijan is engaged in cooperation with Afghanistan with a view to integrating this country into the regional economy and reviving trade with its neighbors and beyond through increased regional connectivity. As the co-lead country together with Turkmenistan in the Regional Infrastructure CBM of the Istanbul process, Azerbaijan will continue working with Afghanistan and other partners in this field.

The ongoing regional connectivity projects initiated by Azerbaijan, including, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad, the new Baku International Sea Trade Port, logistics center on the shores of the Caspian Sea, linking up railway networks of Azerbaijan and Islamic Republic of Iran represent qualitatively new achievement in developing trans-regional infrastructure with multi-modal capabilities along the East-West and North-South axes. These projects will facilitate Afghanistan’s access to global markets and provide connectivity in the region, capable of handling cargo and containers in a much shorter, faster, efficient and cost-effective way.

As the co-lead-country together with the Russian Federation in the Counter-Narcotics CBM of the Istanbul process, Azerbaijan works with Afghanistan and other partners in addressing illicit drug trafficking, which is indeed a grave threat to the region.

Through bilateral channels, Azerbaijan shares its experience with Afghanistan, and provides training assistance in good governance, defence, law-enforcement and mine action fields.

We also contribute to the post-ISAF “Resolute Support Mission” by providing troops, multimodal transit, training and financial assistance. Azerbaijan has already made substantial donations to the Afghanistan National Army Trust Fund and pledged to continue to support to this Fund.

As a Co-chair of Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process and host of next Ministerial Conference in 2017, Azerbaijan remains committed to supporting further the stabilization, peaceful reconstruction and development of Afghanistan through bilateral efforts as well as within HoA-IP and other multilateral platforms.

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