KABUL - President Hamid Karzai left Kabul for Turkey on Monday to participate in the Istanbul conference on bringing security and economic stability to Afghanistan, an official said. Several Cabinet ministers, advisors to the president and journalists are accompanying Karzai on the trip, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Janan Musazai, told reporters.

Karzai would also participate in a trilateral summit on Tuesday where the leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey would discuss expansion of economic, political and security cooperation, he added.

Karzai and his delegation would participate in the Istanbul Conference on Wednesday, he said. The regional cooperation conference will deliberate on issues related to the security transition, including the recruitment, training, and equipment of Afghan forces, as well as the reconciliation process.

The conference will also focus on building up trust among regional and Central Asian countries for greater cooperation in the field of security.

Representatives from 15 countries including the US, France, England, India, Pakistan, Iran and Central Asian counties, would attend the moot.