Army chiefs and intelligence officials from Afghanistan and Pakistan, led by their presidents, pledged military cooperation against Islamist extremists in Turkish-sponsored talks in Ankara on Wednesday. Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who chaired the talks, said the participation of the respective chiefs of staff, land forces commanders and senior intelligence officials was "the most important" element of the talks, the third of their kind since 2007. A joint declaration said the representatives of the three countries agreed to continue contacts "in functional and comprehensive formats on various levels." Military and intelligence officials will meet once a year as part of delegations led by foreign ministers, it said. Presidents Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan asked Gul to organise a summit in Turkey aimed at boosting regional cooperation, it added. Drawing on its traditionally close ties with both Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkey, NATO's sole mainly Muslim member, is seeking to mediate between the two neighbours to encourage a recent thaw in their often tense bilateral relations.