ANKARA (Agencies) - Army chiefs and intelligence officials from Pakistan and Afghanistan, led by their presidents, pledged military cooperation against extremists in Turkish-sponsored talks here 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 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, Natos sole mainly Muslim member, is seeking to mediate between the two neighbours to encourage a recent thaw in their often tense bilateral relations. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey vowed to increase coordination among their political, military and intelligence tiers to jointly fight militancy and terrorism and achieve greater economic cooperation to bring peace and stability in the region. The three presidents reiterated their commitment to follow up on the decisions taken during the second Istanbul summit. They focused their talks on trilateral, regional and international issues of common interest, particularly from a security and stability perspective in the context of the fight against terrorism. Mindful of the importance of coordination and cooperation in security matters between political, military and intelligence authorities at the regional level, the three countries decided to continue trilateral contacts at different levels. The three presidents decided to expand and strengthen the trilateral cooperation among Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey, and stressed the need for interaction among their relevant political institutions. Turkey accepted a request of Pakistan and Afghanistan to host a regional summit of neighbouring countries of Afghanistan for a broader initiative to help the country recover from years of strife, war and infighting. It is for the first time the military and intelligence chiefs of Afghanistan and Pakistan attended the trilateral summit, which is a reflection of deeper commitment to work together, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told the scribe after meeting his Afghan and Turkish counterparts on the sidelines. The trilateral summit that came only four months after the second summit in Istanbul last year, focused on security and intelligence, with the three heads of states stressing closer cooperation to deal with the extremists more effectively. Later addressing a press conference with President Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said the focus of the summit was peace, security and prosperity in the region. Turkish [people] have always sided with their brethren in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They have a special place in our hearts, he said. Gul said it was due to the same reason Ankara peace process was launched in 2007. He said, We know problems of our countries in a better manner and any solution from outside would not be as effective we would propose. According to the understanding developed at the third summit, the three countries will continue to pursue a structured and comprehensive dialogue at different levels; including trilateral military cooperation and training; security cooperation in counter terrorism and counter narcotics; energy projects; transport corridors; establishment of organized industrial zones in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and undertake socio-economic projects on education, health and vocational training. The daylong summit attained greater significance as it will help Turkey, a key member of the military alliance of the 26 member NATO, convey the perceptions and requirements of Pakistan and Afghanistan at its forthcoming summit in France. Citing the reasons for holding the summit side by side with NATO meeting, the Turkish President said the Untied States was taking keen interest in the region. He said Turkey would play its role in helping the United States understand the situation in the region. The joint statement issued at the end reiterated the resolve to continue trilateral contacts at all levels. The statement said the three presidents who were also accompanied by their military and intelligence chiefs, covered bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest particularly from a security and stability perspective. Turkey is of the view that both Pakistan and Afghanistan need to resolve all their issues, counter extremism, terrorism and militancy and work for the betterment of the people for greater regional peace, stability and solidarity of the two countries. The summit is the third that Turkey has hosted in the past three years, in what has become known as the Ankara process. During the meeting the leaders reviewed the agreements finalised at the December summit in Istanbul and focused on ways to seek their early implementation. Under the decisions taken at Istanbul Pakistan and Turkey can initiate joint projects on the Pakistan side, besides having similar joint ventures with Afghanistan on the other side of the border. The trilateral summit is expected to bring Pakistan and Afghanistan closer. Their ties witnessed a thaw, with the swearing in of President Asif Ali Zardari as countrys president in September this year. As a special gesture of goodwill, President Hamid Karzai was the guest of honour at President Zardaris swearing in. Since assuming his office President Zardari has had several meetings with his Afghan counterpart with both the sides striving for improved relations. Earlier, Turkish President Abdullah Gul hosted a lunch for President Asif Ali Zardari, before the start of trilateral meeting on Afghanistan. In the morning, the Presidents of Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan informally met to discuss greater cooperation on security and intelligence sharing, ahead of the formal trilateral meeting later in the day.