TEHRAN - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani renewed Iran’s support for the establishment of peace and security in the neighboring Afghanistan.
“The will of the Iranian government and nation has always been focused on developing good and brotherly relations with its neighbors, specially Afghanistan, in order to meet the interests of the two sides,” President Rouhani said during a meeting with his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on Thursday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s meeting.
The Iranian president expressed the hope that regional nations and governments could decide the fate of their own countries, and said, “The presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan and other countries sets the stage for extremism in the region.”
The Afghan president, for his part, underlined Iran’s important and influential role in promoting peace and stability in the region, specially in Afghanistan.
Iran has on numerous occasions asked for a withdrawal of foreign forces from the region, describing it as the only way to restore peace and tranquility in this part of the world.
The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but the country is still grappling with insecurity.
Many civilians have also lost their lives in the US-led operations in various parts of Afghanistan over the past decade, with Afghans becoming increasingly outraged at the seemingly endless number of the deadly assaults.
Rouhani left Tehran Thursday for Kyrgyzstan to participate in the SCO Summit.
Rouhani’s visit to Bishkek is taking place at the invitation of his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambaev.
The SCO Summit began work in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on Friday.
President Rouhani will deliver a speech at the SCO Summit and meet with President Atambaev.
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.
The Iranian President is also scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart Xi Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Kyrgyzstan.
The visit to Bishkek will be Rouhani’s first foreign trip since taking office on August 4.
Iran, along with Afghanistan, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan, has an observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The SCO is an intergovernmental security organization that was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Iran has always participated in the SCO summits as an observer member. (FNA)