Iran's President: Tehran to do its best for strengthening stability in Afghanistan

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Iran's President stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always been alongside the Afghan government and nation in the past 40 years, and will continue to do so, adding, “Tehran will do its best for strengthening stability in development in Afghanistan”.

Speaking in a meeting with President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan on Friday on the sidelines of the 19th Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Bishkek, President Hassan Rouhani said, “I hope that the joint economic cooperation of the two countries convenes soon to further deepen relations”.

On regional security and drug cultivation, he said, “Unfortunately, the Americans have shown that they violate all of their commitments; therefore, they had better leave the region for the sake of development of stability and security”.

He described drugs as a great problem for the region and said, “Unfortunately, cultivating opium poppies in Afghanistan has increased, and it needs to be addressed seriously by the Afghan government with the help of international organisations”.

President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani said, “Afghanistan is willing to develop cooperation with Tehran in all fields of mutual interest”.

He said, “We welcome Iran’s key role in Afghanistan’s peace talks and the issue of drugs is one of the topics that has to be addressed within the framework of bilateral and international negotiations”.

“Tehran and Kabul have to work together against drug trafficking, extremism and terrorism,” he said, adding that Afghanistan will never let its soil to be used against Iran.

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