6th Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference - Istanbul Process concluded on 4 December 2016 after adopting the Amritsar Declaration.
The Amritsar declaration recognised terrorism as the biggest threat to peace and demands an immediate end to all forms of terrorism.
The Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference was held in Amritsar.
It was co-chaired by Arun Jaitley, India’s FM and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Salahuddin Rabbani.
The sixth conference was inaugurated by President of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi
Participating nations, for the first time, expressed concerns about the high-level of violence in Afghanistan caused by Taliban and other terror groups including Islamic State and its affiliates Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Haqqani Network, Al Qaida, TTP, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, Jundullah and others.
Participating nations also displayed their concern on the increase of production and cultivation of opium in Afghanistan and drug trafficking.
The declaration acknowledges the crucial role of Afghanistan as a natural land bridge, which helps in promoting regional connectivity and economic integration in the region.
Besides, the participants reaffirmed their commitment to the principles, objectives, and outcomes enshrined in the Declarations of previous five Conferences that have defined the ideals for the working of the HoA-IP aimed at promoting regional peace and prosperity.
Heart of Asia Ministerial Conferences
The previous five Ministerial Conferences were held in:
- Istanbul (2011),
- Kabul (2012),
- Almaty (2013),
- Beijing (2014), and
- Islamabad (2015).
Participating Nations: India, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and the United Nations.
Countries that supported the declaration of the conference: Australia, Canada, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Poland, Denmark, Arab Egypt, European Union, Finland, France, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States.
