(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - With Washington aiming to bring Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan together for a joint approach to fight the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, regional powers have held talks in Tehran. Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan president Hamid Karzai agreed to closer cooperation between their countries, regular meetings between the three countries on regional issues, and increased cooperation in the fight against terrorism. The leaders of the three Islamic countries Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan met on Tuesday ahead of the annual Economic Cooperation Organisation Summit which opened on Wednesday.
Foreign ministers and other senior officials from the three countries also attended the talks.
According to a statement from the Pakistani ministry of information and broadcasting, Ahmadinejad (photo) said that the three countries had a strong bond as well as geographical and cultural links that strengthened links between the three Islamic countries.
Ahmadinejad reportedly said that the three neighbouring countries shared such a strong link that if they trusted each other a little more, the whole region could move forward.
Ahmadinejad said that if the three countries could find regional solutions to their problems, they would not need any outside forces.
President Zardari called for increased cooperation and suggested representatives of the three nations meet on a monthly basis and work closely with each other to boost mutual cooperation.
Foreign ministers from the three countries are expected to come up with an agenda and venue for the first of the tripartite meetings.
The 10th annual ECO summit opened in Tehran on Wednesday.
The ECO was founded in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey and the latest summit was expected to focus on the global financial crisis and its impact on the region, as well as other key issues.
The 10-member ECO consists of Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.