Iran Press/ Commentary: During a visit to Tajikistan on Monday, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, met with Tajik Minister of Defense Colonel General Sherali Mirzo and discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation and fight terrorism in the Central Asian region and exchanged views on regional cooperation centered on Afghanistan.
During the meeting, the Tajik Defense Minister welcomed the plans of the Iranian Armed Forces for cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorism, organized crime, and narcotics.
The Iranian and Tajik authorities are in constant contact on bilateral relations and regional issues and have signed two security agreements in addition to economic treaties and memoranda.
The 2014 Security and Law Enforcement Cooperation Agreement emphasizes the two countries' cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the extradition treaty on convicts and criminals, signed in 2010 between the two countries.
Currently, Central Asia faces serious challenges posed by terrorist activities; Iran and Tajikistan also share security threats, such as drug trafficking, terrorism, and extremism.
"Iran is concerned about the security situation in the region, especially in Afghanistan," said the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ibrahim Raisi, in a telephone call with the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon May 2.
The unstable security situation in the region due to ISIS and other terrorist activities in Afghanistan requires serious attention following the implementation of irresponsible US policies in that country and the transfer of ISIS terrorists from Iraq and Syria to Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's northern border with Tajikistan is one of the areas where the spread of unrest could destabilize the region; Accordingly, strengthening the convergence of Tajikistan and Iran is crucial to stabilizing Afghanistan.
In the view of the Islamic Republic of Iran, given the cross-border characteristics of terrorism, global and regional cooperation, especially among neighboring countries, is essential. This can be achieved through relevant bilateral or multilateral agreements or international and regional organizations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Accordingly, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran stressed that in addition to establishing security at the borders, the Armed Forces of Iran and Tajikistan should interact and exchange views. The development of military cooperation in the fight against terrorism should be a priority for the two countries armed forces.
The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tajikistan is based on convergence factors in the political, economic, cultural, and security spheres, and the cooperation agreements concluded between the two countries so far show a severe will to develop and deepen cooperation between the two countries.
"Iran's pioneering role in recognizing the independence of the Republic of Tajikistan and opening an embassy ahead of other countries in Dushanbe was not a coincidence," said Nizamuddin Zahedi, the Tajik ambassador to Iran.
Instead, it was a historical necessity and a demand for the two countries' national interests based on the commonalities of language, literature, history, and culture.
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