Rouhani: Foreign Presence in Region to Result in Extremism


Rouhani: Foreign Presence in Region to Result in Extremism

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani criticized presence of foreign forces in the region, particularly in Afghanistan, saying such presence would make way for extremism.

The presence of foreign forces in the region, specifically in Afghanistan, will prepare the ground for extremism throughout the region, President Rouhani said in a Thursday meeting with his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai in Kyrgyzstan’s capital city of Bishkek.

The Iranian president also said the regional governments and nations, including Afghanistan, should be entitled to decide the fate of their own countries, and expressed the hope for an end to the presence of foreigners in the region.

Karzai, for his part, highlighted the “effective and significant” role that Iran plays in bringing peace, stability and security to the region, as well as to his country.

President Rouhani’s visit to Bishkek took place at an official invitation by his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambayev, for the 13th annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The Iranian chief executive is also scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit meeting on Friday.

Kyrgyzstan holds the current rotating presidency of the SCO.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a political, economic and military organization which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Mongolia are observer states of the SCO.

 

 

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