The leaders of Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan held a summit on Friday in İstanbul, taking tangible steps in the fight against terrorism, economic cooperation and partnership in disaster management. Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zerdari met with their Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gl, in an Ottoman palace on the banks of the Bosporus for the summit, the fifth of its kind since 2007. The Turkish-sponsored summits aim at reducing tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan and enhancing cooperation between Turkey and the two Asian nations. On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with the Afghan president, while Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmay Rassoul and Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi met over breakfast. During the summit, the three countries discussed plans to set up a direct video conference call system between their presidents, launch a joint emergency exercise against natural disasters and to establish a joint platform aiming to bring together scholars from the three countries. A framework agreement aiming to enhance the capacity of the three countries to cooperate, as well as agreements for establishment of a Counter-Terrorism Excellency Center, cooperation between the police departments of the three countries and cooperation in counter-narcotics were also due to be signed later in the day. News reports said officials meeting on the sidelines of the summit also discussed plans to hold joint military exercise. Military officials from the three countries took part in the meeting, a Pakistani news report said. During the meeting it was also discussed to organize different course programs for the militaries of the three countries in line to further their skill and capabilities. Speaking at the beginning of the trilateral summit, Gl said a railroad between Turkey and Pakistan should be extended to Afghanistan and flights between the three countries should be expanded for better cooperation. Turkey has close ties with both Pakistan and Afghanistan and sees the trilateral summits as a way to reduce tensions over militant attacks along the countries lawless border. The three presidents, joined by Prime Minister Erdoğan, went to a mosque together for Friday prayers. Erdoğan rode with the leaders to the mosque, while Gl rode with leaders in his car on the their way back from the mosque to the hotel for a lunch. İstanbul Governor Hseyin Avni Mutlu and İstanbul Police Department Head Hseyin apkın also accompanied the leaders during their Friday prayers. The foreign and interior ministers of three countries also participated in talks over the lunch. (The Zaman)