Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process:
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Heart of Asia Istanbul Process is a regional initiative of Afghanistan and the Republic of Turkey. It was launched in November 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey.
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Aim: The process aims to promote economic and political cooperation for Afghanistan peace through dialogue and confidence-building measures (CBMs).
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Composition: The platform comprises 15 participating countries, 17 supporting countries, and 12 supporting regional and international organizations.
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India is one of the participating countries.
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Other participating countries are Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates
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Pillars: The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process is based on three pillars:
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Political Consultations to resolve disputes in the region and Afghanistan.
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Implementation of the Confidence Building Measures(CBMs) and
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Cooperation with Regional Organizations.
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De facto Secretariat: The Directorate-General for Regional Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan.
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Has India ever hosted the conference: India co-hosted the 6th Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference in Amritsar, Punjab in 2016.