Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held talks with visiting Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar on Saturday in Tehran.
During the meeting, Zarif deemed Afghanistan a neighboring country with deep friendly ties to Iran, saying the Islamic Republic considers the security and prosperity of that country as its own; “this is not merely a personal and friendly opinion, but rather the principled policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he stressed.
The foreign minister went on to refer to the order of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in regard to the education of Afghan children in Iran, saying “this attests to the fact that we believe in the progress and development of Afghanistan at the highest level.”
Mohammad Hanif Atmar, for his part, underscored the significance of cooperation with Iran, and deemed Chabahar project a positive sign of the start of fundamental cooperation between the two countries.
On May 23, India and Afghanistan signed a deal with Iran for a transport corridor that opens up a new route to Afghanistan via the Iranian port of Chabahar.
Atmar further expressed his condolences over the anniversary of the martyrdom of a number of Iranian diplomats and a correspondent in Mazar Sharif on August 8, 1998, and called for continued cooperation among regional countries in the fight against terrorism and extremism.
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