ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will visit Turkey from February 12 to 14 to attend the 8^th trilateral summit, being held in Ankara.

Foreign Office Spokesperson giving the details said the trilateral summit will be attended by the leaders of Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Prime Minister would be accompanied by a high-level delegation.

The Turkey-Afghanistan-Pakistan Trilateral process was launched in 2007 and the last summit was held in December 2012 in Ankara.

It is an important platform for high-level dialogue, security cooperation, and economic development partnership on the issue of Afghanistan.

The theme of the 8th Trilateral Summit is "Sustainable Peace in the Heart of Asia".

The Summit is taking place in the backdrop of important political and security transitions in Afghanistan, including Presidential and Provincial Council elections being held on April, 5^th this year and the draw-down of NATO/ISAF forces by 31 December 2014.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has articulated a forward-looking vision of a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood, defined by close, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including Afghanistan.

During the Summit, the Prime Minister would have extensive interaction with Turkey's President Mr. Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well as Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai.

The senior members of the Prime Minister's delegation would have meetings with their respective counterparts in trilateral formats.

Separately, the Prime Minister will meet the President of Turkey and the Prime Minister to review wide spectrum of bilateral relations with focus on economic cooperation.

In Istanbul, he will be having meetings with the Chairman/CEO of major Turkish companies.