Karzai Underlines Importance of Consultations with Iran on Regional Issues

Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi stressed the importance of consultations and talks with Tehran on bilateral relations and different regional developments.

Karzai said that exchange of delegations and consultations on bilateral and regional subjects are of great importance.

He conveyed his greetings to the Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Seyed Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran as an “important” event.

The Iranian top diplomat, for his part, called for removal of minor impediments on the way of expansion of Iran-Afghanistan relations.

Salehi thanked Karzai for his presence at the head of a high-ranking delegation in the NAM summit, and conveyed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s warm greetings to his Afghan counterpart.

He said continued exchange of delegations by Iran and Afghanistan will give an impetus to development of bilateral relations.

Iran is one of the most important donors to Afghanistan, which has kept its promises to help to the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.

Iran has built several roads, power transmission lines, border stations and many other infrastructure projects to better link the two nations.

Iran has also contributed more than $50 million annually to Afghan anti-narcotics efforts during the last five years.

Tehran has repeatedly called for a withdrawal of the US-led foreign troops from Afghanistan, stressing that establishment of peace and security in the war-ravaged country is possible only through cooperation among the regional states.