Heart of Asia and Istanbul Process

The 2015 Heart of Asia conference was held in Islamabad in December. The conference was part of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process. The conference ended with adoption of Islamabad Declaration. From Indian side, the conference was attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

About Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process

The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process was jointly launched by the Afghanistan and Turkey in 2011 to encourage the Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries to play a constructive role in establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan; and thereby achieving regional stability. There were three main elements behind establishment of Istanbul Process.

• The withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, followed by reduced international engagement and aid after 2014 had put a question mark on future of Afghanistan. This had necessitated the integration of Afghanistan in the regional economy and improving its relations with neighbours and extended neighbours.
• Allowing Afghanistan to set its own agenda in regional perspective.
• Afghan problems are not just product of its own and they affect not just Afghanistan but also the other nations in the region.

The conference on Istanbul Process was first held in Istanbul, Turkey in 2011. It was followed by Kabul, Afghanistan (2012); Almaty, Kazakhstan (2013);and Beijing, China (2014). The recent was held in Islamabad and next 2016 is expected to be held in New Delhi.

Participating Countries

Istanbul Process has 14 member countries viz. Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the UAE. Further, there are more than 20 supporting countries and few supporting organizations such as UN, SAARC, NATO, SCO and OIC.

Focus Areas

The countries in the Istanbul Process discuss and talk on political consultation involving Afghanistan and its neighbouring nations. The other focus areas include:

• A sustained incremental effort to implement the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) identified in the Istanbul Process document.
• Seeking to contribute and bring greater coherence to the work of various regional processes and organisations, particularly as they relate to Afghanistan.

Evaluation of achievements so far

Initially, the process had some achievements for Afghanistan. It served as only forum for Afghanistan to set its own agenda of reconciliation. It has been providing an open door for the participating member’s interaction. However, later this Istanbul process proved to be nothing more than a talk shop and its performance has been slow and tardy due to unclear foreign policy of the Afghan government and lack of political will at highest levels in the administration. The presidential elections and the post 2014 situation had further affected the process and raised questions from participating countries about future of the Process. The other reason for slow nature of the Process was due to conflicting agendas of the participating members. While Pakistan was not happy with India’s inclusion, China, Russia, and Iran view it as a way of US dominance in the region. Further, Af-Pak tensions have created some issues in recent past in bilateral relations of the two countries.

2015 conference: Agenda and Backdrop

The 2015 Islamabad conference was held at a critical period following Afghanistan’s political, security, and economic transition. The relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan were at a low after the peace talks with Taliban were stalled. Pakistan promised Afghanistan to bring the Taliban on to negotiating table, but the last minute confirmation of the death of Mullah Omar, the former spiritual head of the Taliban, stalled the negotiations and raised questions about Pakistan’s commitment. After failure of the talks, Afghanistan witnessed deadly attacks. Afghanistan blamed Pakistan for the blasts and providing safe haven to terror elements. There is also rise of Islamic State in Afghanistan and Central Asia. The Afghan government was reluctant to participation in the conference but it was attended by the Afghan President considering its importance.

The Islamabad Declaration

The conference ended with adoption of Islamabad Declaration.

• Participating members reaffirmed their cooperation to work for the principles, objectives and outcomes defined in the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process aimed at promoting peace and stability in the region.
• The delegates reaffirmed their respect to each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence.
• They acknowledged the conference as a critical platform for promotion of stable Afghanistan. They believed that a stable and prosperous Afghanistan was not only in its own interest but also to the region as a whole.
• They considered the conclusion of International Security Assistance Forces’ (ISAF) Mission in Afghanistan as a step towards its self-reliance and noted the non-combat ISAF Mission to provide assistance to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF), which would contribute to peace and stability in Afghanistan.
• They urged the international community to help and assist Afghan refugees for their voluntary, safe and dignified repatriation and resettlement in Afghanistan. They also asked Afghanistan to take required steps for facilitating this process with host countries.
• The Afghan President has listed the progress on mega projects in 2015 such as TAPI gas pipeline, the Chabahar port, Turkmen railways, transmission lines and economic zones. The completion of these projects will play an important role in regional cooperation and development.

Over all the conference was seen as an opportunity to improve relations between key regional players. The stalled dialogue process between Afghanistan and Pakistan seems to resume after successful talks between the two countries.  It provided an opportunity for Afghanistan to reaffirm its role and commitments about regional cooperation and development.  After holding the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) and Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), this was Afghanistan’s another good move for its economic integration and cooperation in the region. But efforts must be made to revive the negotiations between Afghan government and Taliban.

India’s role in the process?

On its part, India has hosted six regional technical group meetings on trade, commerce and investment opportunities for Heart of Asia in New Delhi between 2012 and 2015. India will also host the 2016 Heart of Asia conference.

At the 2015 conference, India showed its stronger commitment to assist Afghanistan to fight against terrorism and improve the capabilities of Afghan security forces. India also showed its interest in joining the Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) so that Indian markets can access Afghanistan. India also mentioned about progress on construction of Chahbahar port in Iran which can enhance the trade in the region. India is also working with Afghanistan and Iran to develop trilateral transit.