KABUL, April 27 Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Monday that Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran were fully aware of their problems and prospects, and there was need for evolving indigenous prescriptions for lasting peace and stability in the region.

Speaking at a ministerial forum with Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta and his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki, he expressed satisfaction on the initiative launched by the leadership of the three countries at the 10th ECO summit held in Tehran last month.

“Pakistan views the trilateral mechanism as an important plank of a holistic regional approach towards issues of development and stability in the region,” he said.

He said assembling the three countries on a platform was in accord with the will and aspirations of their people for greater cooperation and closer coordination.

“It is my firm belief that through this initiative, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran can forge a forward-looking development agenda in an atmosphere of trust, understanding and goodwill,” he said.

The foreign minister said the region was endowed with unmatched wealth, especially strong human resource. “There is no reason why we cannot synergise our energies and harness our collective potential.”

He said a recent meeting of senior officials of the three countries in Islamabad had produced some very positive outcomes.

“We agreed on the fundamentals of our tripartite cooperation. We developed a consensus on giving strong impetus to the trilateral process in the political, economic, development, reconstruction and social fields, and preparing a framework of cooperation and pragmatic plan of action,” he said.

Mr Qureshi submitted a draft joint declaration on the framework of trilateral cooperation. “This document can be placed before our leadership at the second trilateral summit in Iran,” he said.

He said there was need to continue the consultative process regularly for finding ways to address common issues confronting the region.

“While promoting greater exchanges among our intelligentsia and civil society, we must undertake focussed endeavours for socio-economic uplift of our masses,” he said.

He said concerted efforts had to be made for the safe and dignified return of Afghan refugees by creating an appropriate atmosphere within Afghanistan.

“The trans-regional development agenda has to be given a concrete shape. It must include immediate steps for creating infrastructural and energy connectivity,” he said.

“We must initiate trilateral projects for economic development and promote trade through regional and bilateral arrangements that afford full involvement of our private sectors,” he said.

It was decided that the foreign ministers of the three countries would meet once a month as part of efforts to fight terrorism and stabilise Afghanistan.

“Our countries have come together to strengthen our relationship and cooperation. We decided that we will meet in Islamabad, Kabul and Tehran,” the Afghan foreign minister said at a news conference.

He said the next meeting would be held in Tehran in May.

The Iranian foreign minister said his country was ready to throw its considerable diplomatic weight behind stabilising Afghanistan and the wider region, but it had not yet decided about cooperating with the United States.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has mustered all its power and is willing to put it to work to find a regional joint solution and we will implement it with enthusiasm,” he said.

“What Iran and America are able to do together with reference to Afghanistan depends on us knowing what the latest scenario is with the US.”

Foreign Minister Qureshi defended Pakistan`s decision to sign a deal with Taliban in Swat and said it did not mean it would spread to other parts of the country.—APP/Reuters