A/RES/71/9 The situation in Afghanistan Terrorism by Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan Armed Forces to coordinate and support their efforts in counter-terrorism areas; 51. Welcomes the important initiatives for regional connectivity, notably in the frameworks of the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan and the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process confidence-building measures to facilitate increased trade throughout the region, and looks forward to the forthcoming Heart of Asia ministerial meeting, to be held in Amritsar, India, on 4 December 2016; 52. Emphasizes, in this regard, the importance of strengthening local and regional networks of transportation that will facilitate connectivity for economic development, stability and self-sustainability, particularly the completion and maintenance of local railroad and land routes, the development of region al projects to foster further connectivity and the enhancement of international civil aviation capabilities; 53. Welcomes and urges further efforts to strengthen the process of regional economic cooperation, including measures to facilitate regional conne ctivity, trade and transit, including through regional development initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road) Initiative, and regional development projects, such as the Turkmenistan Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project, the Central Asia South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA-1000), the Chabahar agreement between Afghanistan, India and the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Lapis Lazuli Transit, Trade and Transport Route agreement and the Turkmenistan -Aqina railway segment, and bilateral transit trade agreements, expanded consular visa cooperation and facilitation of business travel, to expand trade, increase foreign inve stments and develop infrastructure, including infrastructural connectivity, energy supply, transport and integrated border management, with a view to promoting sustainable economic growth and the creation of jobs in Afghanistan and the region, noting the h istorical role of Afghanistan as a land bridge in Asia, recalls that such regional economic cooperation plays an important role in achieving stability and development in Afghanistan, and in this regard urges all relevant stakeholders to ensure a secure environment for these development initiatives and trade agreements to be fully implemented; United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board 54. Expresses its appreciation for the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, as mandated by the Security Council in its resolution 2274 (2016), stresses the continued importance of the central and impartial coordinating role of the United Nations in pro moting a more coherent international engagement, and acknowledges the central role played by the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board in this regard; 55. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to report every three months on developments in Afghanistan, as well as on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution; 56. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-second session the item entitled “The situation in Afghanistan”. 47th plenary meeting 17 November 2016 12/12