Iran favors Afghanistan’s stability, security, development

He made the remarks in a meeting with Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah on Saturday morning in Dushanbe on the sideline of the Fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

“There are many opportunities for the development of bilateral and regional economic relations between the two countries,” Rouhani said, the official website of Iranian presidency reported.

He went on to stress the importance of fighting drugs, adding, “in addition to social harms, a major portion of terrorism funding is supplied through drug trafficking, and this fact underscores the necessity of comprehensive fight against drug trafficking.”

On the two countries’ joint efforts in fighting and uprooting terrorism, Rouhani added, “the security of the regional countries, including Iran and Afghanistan, are tied to each other and therefore, establishing stability and development in the region depends on cooperation among the countries.”

He also said that the participation of all Afghan groups is necessary for the development and stability of the country.

For his part, Abdullah appreciated Iran for supporting and helping the people of Afghanistan.

He also mentioned Iran’s efforts in fighting terrorism and drug trafficking and called for more cooperation between Tehran and Kabul in these fields.

“Iran has always been alongside the Afghan people and government, and we are always grateful for the help and support,” he said.