Ankara - There were no concrete results from a trilateral summit in Ankara Wednesday between the presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey - but the summit was an example of Turkey attempting to play a new role in regional affairs.

Wednesday's meeting hosted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul not only brought together Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan but also the military and intelligence chiefs of the three countries, a sign that the "Ankara process" as the trilateral summit is known, is a way of increasing communication and trust between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"One important thing is the process itself," a Turkish diplomat told the German Press Agency dpa.

With good ties with both countries, Turkey has used its position to try and end what was just a few years ago a very fractious relationship between the neighbours.

When former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf was in power, Afghanistan directly accused the Pakistani strongman of failing to stop, or even of encouraging Taliban fighters who used north-west Pakistan as a base to launch attacks inside Afghanistan.

It was in this context in April 2007 that Turkey organized the first trilateral meeting. The atmosphere at that first meeting was indeed "chilly", according to the diplomat.

"But since then, especially since the election of Asif Ali Zardari the atmosphere at the trilateral summits have become warmer," the diplomat said.

Turkey is not just acting as a mediator but also is directly contributing to the re-building process in Afghanistan.

In addition to around 1,000 troops in Kabul serving as a part of the NATO mission to Afghanistan, Turkey is also involved in the building of schools, medical facilities and has trained hundreds of Afghan police and troops.

"We are able to use our close people-to-people ties to achieve things that others cannot," the diplomat said. "One example of this was when we handed out meat at Eid al-Adha holiday. The Afghans accepted this because it was halal."

In some ways the trilateral summit is an example of the new role Turkey has attempted to play in the region in the last few years.

As a member of NATO and a candidate for membership to the European Union, as well as its population being predominately Muslim, Turkey claims to be able to act as a bridge between East and West.

An example of such a role can be seen in the way Turkey has offered to act as a mediator between Iran and the United States - an offer that has yet to be taken up - or its role as host for indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria.

With Israel and Syria still technically at war, and still unable to face each other over the table, Turkey has acted as a middleman in getting the two to talk.

The talks broke down after Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip at the end of 2008, but Turkey has offered to once again act as a broker if the two sides are willing.

Turkey's largest city Istanbul sits astride the Bosporus Strait, Europe on one side and Asia on the other. Not just geographically but also politically Turkey is increasingly a bridge between East and West. (dpa)