Turkey and Pakistan will hold a trilateral summit with Afghanistan in Istanbul in an effort for a lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan  Pakistani media reported.
 
This was announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan during a joint press conference in Turkey, The News reported. 
The trilateral summit will be called as soon as Turkish local elections are concluded in March, the report said.
 
"The people of Afghanistan have been suffering for over three decades. Pakistan is already helping dialogue between the Taliban and Americans. I look forward to the summit meeting in Istanbul, where we hope that Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey will be able to help in this peace process," Khan said at a press conference following his meeting with Turkish President. 
 
The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to achieving and sustaining peace, security and stability in their respective regions as well as internationally. 
 
In a joint statement released after the conference, and quoted by The News, Turkey and Pakistan acknowledged that sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan could be achieved through reconciliation among all segments of the Afghan society with the support of the regional countries and the international community.
 
This comes as Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara on Friday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Their visit comes amid increasing efforts by the Afghan government and the international community, US on the top, for a political settlement to the war in Afghanistan.