Iran Press/Asia: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Tajik counterpart Sirodjidin Mukhriddin on Tuesday reviewed the latest situation of bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries on Afghanistan issues.
Referring to the fruitful negotiations with the President of Tajikistan, Zarif stressed the readiness of Iran to expand and deepen bilateral relations with Tajikistan.
Mukhriddin described the shared culture and history of the three countries (Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan) as a priceless wealth for all three nations and stressed his country's readiness to develop a trilateral economic infrastructure, including strengthening the transit and rail capacity between the three states.
After meeting with Tajik counterpart, Zarif and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in a meeting in Dushanbe exchanged views on the latest situation of bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments.
During the meeting held on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Conference in Tajikistan's capital on Monday, Zarif and Jaishankar explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating mutual cooperation and regional development, including the latest political conditions in Afghanistan and ways for active participation in the Afghan peace process.
During the meeting, the Indian foreign minister lauded Iran's constructive and effective role in Afghanistan's political developments and stressed the importance of cooperation among regional states, especially India and Iran, in line with strengthening peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The two sides also reviewed the latest conditions of economic and transit cooperation and India's readiness for promoting trade with Iran.
Zarif Speech at the Heart of Asian Conference
Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in his speech at the Heart of Asia Conference has called on the United Nations to facilitate inter-Afghan talks, stressing that any peace agreement in the country must guarantee the right of the Afghan people to self-determination.
Zarif referred to the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran for regional integration and Afghanistan's entry into regional interactions, considered establishing peace and stability in this country possible only with the focus on inter-Afghan dialogue.
Iranian Foreign Minister stressed that any peace agreement in the country must guarantee the right of the Afghan people to self-determination.
Referring to the connection of the Afghan railway to the Iranian railway network, which was inaugurated in 202-2021, Zarif called this development an important step in the formation of an international-regional railway network.
Pointing out to Iran's measures in meeting Afghanistan's needs in the fight against COVID-19, the Foreign Minister stressed the continuation of these actions by Iran and called on all countries to cooperate in the fight against the Coronavirus and the war.
The top Iranian diplomat referred to the valuable achievements of the Afghan people in establishing the rule of law, and in particular the drafting of the constitution and called for efforts by regional countries to facilitate inter-Afghan peace talks and considered unconstructive the foreign solutions imposed by some trans-regional actors for domestic political purposes.
In the end, the Foreign Minister, while emphasizing that the only way to establish lasting stability in Afghanistan is inter-Afghan talks, stressed the continuation of the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran in facilitating these talks.
On Monday, Zarif and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in a meeting in Dushanbe reviewed mutual cooperation and regional developments.
Zarif traveled to Dushanbe to attend the Heart of Asia conference on Tuesday.
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