FM: Iran Keen to Boost Ties with Afghanistan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s foreign minister stressed that Tehran and Kabul share a lot of common ground, and called for expansion of bilateral ties between the two neighboring countries.
In a Monday message to his Afghan counterpart Zalmay Rassoul, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the ample opportunity for enhancement of Iran-Afghanistan relations with regard to the two nations’ commonalities in religious and cultural arenas.
Zarif also extended his felicitations to the Afghan nation on the country’s National Day.
Afghan officials on Monday marked the 94th anniversary of independence from British influence, with a small military parade and folk festivals in the capital.
In a relevant development on August 5, senior national security officials from Iran and Afghanistan signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Tehran.
Iranian officials have repeatedly called for a regional solution to the existing problems in Afghanistan and underlined the necessity for an end to the presence of foreign forces in the war-torn country.
Also, Iran has for decades hosted millions of refugees from Afghanistan, though it has received little international support.
Afganistan is now trying to fully take control of its future as foreign military forces prepare to leave the country at the of 2014. Afghan troops took control of security from foreign forces two months ago, nearly 12 years after the invasion of the country by the US-led forces in 2001.
