Iran ready to host extraordinary ministerial meeting on Afghanistan

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said this week Tehran was ready to host an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring states in order to help ensure regional security.

Speaking at a meeting in Tehran with Mohammad Sadiq Khan, the Pakistani prime minister’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Amirabdollahian described the relations between Tehran and Islamabad as excellent and underlined the need to expand cooperation between the two neighbors in all areas, especially regional security.

He then noted that Iran considers Pakistan’s security as its own security, saying Tehran is ready for any cooperation that would strengthen security in the region, Tasnim News reported.

Amirabdollahian referred to the presence of over 4.5 million Afghan nationals in Iran, including 1.5 million people who entered the country following the collapse of the former government in Afghanistan last year.

He reaffirmed Iran’s support for peace and stability in Afghanistan that would pave the way for the return of refugees to their own country.

For his part, the Pakistani envoy outlined his country’s views about the ongoing developments in Afghanistan.

He added that cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad can guarantee help to the Afghan people and considerably reduce the destructive impact of the situation for them and the entire region.