KABUL - The Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday night left Kabul to Europe to sign strategic partnership agreements with Britain, France, Italy, and Turkmenistan, the President's Office said.
On Thursday President Karzai will meet Turkmen President, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and will discuss about economic and bilateral cooperation, it said.

Mr Karzai will fly to Italy to meet Prime Minister Mario Monti and other top officials to sign strategic partnership agreements; it added that President Karzai will go to France and London on Friday.

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday said the period for strategic partnership with France will be 20 years which include economic, security and political cooperation with Afghanistan.

But no details were provided about the strategic partnership with Britain and Italy.

The Minister added that President Hamid Karzai would work out the framework of bilateral cooperation with international allies and that the President will soon give a clear definition of such cooperation.

The partnership agreement with France is to be signed at a time after four of its soldiers were shot dead and seventeen others were wounded by an Afghan army soldier in eastern Kapisa province on Friday.