Foreign ministers of Afghanistan, Turkey and Iran in a trilateral meeting in Antalya reaffirmed a commitment to “solidarity and cooperation” based on “deep-rooted historical, religious and cultural commonalities and shared values,” the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Mohammad Haneef Atmar, Javad Zarif and Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu held the meeting on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

They underlined their commitment to further expand cooperation particularly in the areas that would contribute to economic progress and sustainable development.

The three foreign ministers expressed their "willingness to enhance their cooperation on regional connectivity in the fields of transport, trade, energy and infrastructure," and agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding.

They also underlined the "importance of further strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in all their forms and manifestations, transnational organized crime and illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and their precursors, and arms, human trafficking, crimes against cultural and historical heritage, cybercrimes and illegal migration," the ministry statement said.

They expressed their determination to increase cooperation in "people-to-people contacts, education, social and cultural exchange and tourism."

The ministers recognized the importance of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process (HoA-IP) as a substantial platform that contributes to regional stability in fields ranging from political and security cooperation to economic integration.

They acknowledged the role of the regional and neighboring countries, in particular the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan, in hosting Afghan refugees and called for creating "conducive conditions in Afghanistan for their voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation."

The ministers also agreed to enhance cooperation in the field of migration and urged the international community to increase technical and financial assistance to host countries in taking care of the essential needs of Afghan refugees and to provide support to the repatriation and reintegration efforts of the Government of Afghanistan.

They vowed their commitment to support a sovereign, independent, democratic and unified Afghanistan.

The ministers "deplored the continuing high level of violence in Afghanistan and particularly condemned attacks targeting civilians and reiterated that a sustainable peace can be achieved only through an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political process that aims a permanent and nationwide ceasefire as well as an inclusive political settlement," the statement said.

They announced their ongoing support for the Afghan Peace Negotiations for the achievement of a just and durable political settlement.

The ministers recognized the efforts of Turkey together with Qatar and the UN to hold a high-level meeting in Istanbul aimed at giving momentum to the ongoing Afghan Peace Negotiations and called on the Taliban to fulfill their commitment for ending violence, establishing immediate and permanent ceasefire and achieving an inclusive negotiated settlement leading to lasting peace in Afghanistan desired by the Afghan people, the region and the international community.