Heart Of Asia Istanbul Process UPSC ( HoA-IP ) | Heart of Asia Conference – External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar reached Dushanbe on a three-day visit to Tajikistan. He will attend the 9th Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process on Afghanistan. India will attend the 9th Ministerial Conference of Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process on Afghanistan.
Location This Time Is Tajikistan . Heart Of Asia Istanbul Process UPSC | Heart of Asia Conference 2021 .
Background And Concept Of Heart Of Asia Istanbul Process
- The Heart of Asia – Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) is an initiative of Afghanistan and Turkey
- It was officially launched at a conference hosted by Turkey in Istanbul on 2 November 2011.
- Since then, Afghanistan supported by fourteen Participating Countries of the Heart of Asia Region and 16 Supporting Countries beyond the region as well as 12 Regional and International Organizations is leading and coordinating this Process.
- It is a platform for promoting regional security, economic and political cooperation centred on Afghanistan through dialogue and a set of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).
- The Directorate General for Regional Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan is acting as the de facto Secretariat of the Process.
The Heart of Asia Region:
- The geographical area covering the 15 Participating Countries of the HoA-IP is defined as the Heart of Asia Region.
- It is one of the biggest regions in the world with a collective geographical area of more than 40 million Sq kms covering around 27% of the land area of the Earth.
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Three pillars of this conference process are:
- Political Consultations: Political consultation involving Afghanistan and its near and extended neighbours
- Confidence Building Measures (CBMs): Areas for CBMs identified in the Istanbul Process document are Disaster management, Counter-terrorism, Counter-narcotics, Trade, Commerce and Investment, Regional infrastructure, and Education.
- Cooperation with Regional Organizations
India Role In Heart Of Asia Istanbul Process
- India has made concerted efforts for strengthening regional connectivity for the greater economic integration of Afghanistan with the region.
- A dedicated Air Freight Corridor between cities of India and Afghanistan and operationalisation of Chabahar Port in Iran are steps in that direction.
- External affairs minister also visited the Dushanbe-Chortut Highway Project and lauded the work being done by Border Roads Organisation under Indian grant assistance.
- The 8-lane highway will decongest Dushanbe.
