ANKARA, Dec 10: A hotline has been established to facilitate communication among the presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey, a Turkish official said on Monday.

“The hotline has been operational since yesterday (Sunday),” the official said on condition of anonymity but noted that the presidents had not used it yet. “It is designed to help communication among the three capitals in times of crisis,” the official added.

The presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan are due to hold talks in Turkey on Tuesday and Wednesday on a peace initiative for Afghanistan and to resolve a row that emerged after Kabul claimed an attack against its spy chief was planned in Pakistan.

The summit in Ankara will be the seventh in Turkey since the consultation mechanism was established in 2007.—AFP