Turkey hosts Afghan-Pakistan summit

Afghan and Pakistani leaders will meet in Istanbul Tuesday with the goal of reconciling differences and reducing the deep-seated mistrust that exists between the two countries, reports Reuters.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul will host Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Zardari in a summit that seeks to reconcile accusations that both countries are implementing militant attacks on the other, according to Radio Free Europe.

The talks come at a turning point for the region, as the United States is planning to pull out its combat troops by 2014. For the past 10 years, the countries have been plagued by bitter disputes, with Afghanistan claiming that Pakistani intelligence, or the ISI, has been supporting the Taliban and Haqqani network, reports the Express Tribune.

These are the sixth tri-lateral talks in hopes of finding a peaceful, lasting solution, according to the International News. The summit will be attended by both countries' intelligence leaders, interior ministers and heads of the military.

On Monday, Zardari and Gul finalized a currency swap agreement between the two countries as well as reviewed the ECO Trade Agreement that will strengthen economic ties between Turkey and Pakistan, reports the Business Recorder.

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