Pakistan and Afghanistan pledged to begin a new era of economic cooperation Saturday

Pakistan and Afghanistan pledged to begin a new era of economic cooperation Saturday, with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani saying three days of talks had ended 13 years of differences.

Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said collaboration on economic and energy issues would form the basis of better security in the troubled region as US-led NATO combat troops leave Afghanistan after more than a decade.

The two countries have long endured testy relations, with former Afghan president Hamid Karzai regularly accusing Pakistan of supporting Taliban insurgents trying to overthrow his regime.

Pakistan has accused Kabul of not doing enough to shut down bases on its soil for militants attacking Pakistani targets.

The fact that Ghani chose to make Islamabad the destination for his first bilateral visit since taking power in September is seen as an important sign of wanting to improve ties.

The former World Bank economist arrived in Islamabad on Friday but aides had begun negotiations with Pakistani officials a day earlier.

After talks between Ghani and Sharif on Saturday, the two sides' finance ministers signed a deal aimed at more than doubling trade between the two countries to $5 billion by 2017, as well as simplifying customs protocols.

"I want to welcome the enormous steps that have been taken in the last three days to achieve progress on the economy," Ghani said at a joint news conference with Sharif afterwards.

"We have overcome obstacles of 13 years in three days," he said in an apparent dig at the troubles of the Karzai era.