Iran making every effort to ensure security in Afghanistan: Rouhani. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic will spare no effort for the establishment of peace and security in neighboring Afghanistan. “The will of the Iranian government and nation has always been [focused on] developing good and brotherly relations with its neighbors, particularly Afghanistan, in order to meet the interests of the two sides,” said Rouhani during a Thursday meeting with his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. Rouhani also said the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan and other countries sets the stage for extremism in the region, expressing hope that regional nations and governments can decide the fate of their own countries. The Afghan president, for his part, underlined Iran’s significant and effective role in promoting peace and stability in the region, including Afghanistan. The meeting took place ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which is scheduled to be held in Bishkek on Friday. Rouhani, who arrived in the city earlier in the day, has also met with his Chinese and Kyrgyz counterparts on the sidelines of the SCO summit. He is also due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. The SCO is an intergovernmental security organization, founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Iran, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan are observer members of the organization. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif; Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh; and Rouhani’s Chief of Staff Mohammad Nahavandian are accompanying him during his two-day trip to the Central Asian country.
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 01:21:09 +0000
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