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AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: Top Foreign Ministry officials of the three regional countries—Afghanistan, Iran and India stressed on regional cooperation on fight against terrorism, Iranian news agency IRNA reported.
During a meeting in Tehran, foreign ministry director generals of Iran, India and Afghanistan emphasized the importance of regional cooperation on fighting the threat of terrorism and extremism.
The Iranian, Indian and Afghan officials discussed also an array of issues of mutual interest, regional developments and explored as well ways to develop trilateral political, economic cultural and transportation cooperation.
Meanwhile, the three countries top foreign ministry officials underlined holding expert meetings on Transit and International Transportation Cooperation trilateral agreement known as the Chabahar Agreement.
Outcomes of the expert meetings and the meetings between the three countries’ industrial and trade representatives are expected to be reviewed in the upcoming meeting of top foreign ministry officials in Afghan capital, Kabul.
Moreover, the three top Iranian, Indian and Afghan officials discussed also potential cooperation in the framework of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process.
This comes as recently Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani visited Iran to talk important issues, including closer security cooperation and a joint fight against terrorism.
“A stable and secure Afghanistan was a strategically important factor in bilateral relations, and prioritized regular consultations and information exchanges between the two countries,” Rabbani said during talks with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad JavadZarif.
At the same time, Taliban and the Islamic State, which is also known as Daesh militants are increased their evil designs against Afghan government forces.
The situation in western Afghanistan is equally worrisome with anti-Iranian Daesh forces posing a serious threat to Tehran, which is now recruiting local Afghan refugees to fight the terrorist organization. In an interview with Sputnik, Iranian political analyst PirmohammadMollazehi underscored the all-importance of closer security exchanges between Iran and Afghanistan.
He also said that the Daesh terrorists’ main goal is to establish an “Islamic Caliphate” that would spread from Russia’s North Caucasus all the way to India. Fully aware of this, Tehran and Kabul must work closer together to restore peace and security in the war-torn Afghanistan.
Currently, Afghanistan and Iran is working very closer not only to fight terrorism but also to improve trade ties as recently Iranian Oil officials expressed their country’s readiness to build joint oil refineries in Afghanistan, Iranian MEHR news agency reported.
It is exactly with this understanding in mind that between 2011 and 2015 Iran donated $500 million to the Afghan government and is going to line up an additional $400 million before the end of this year. The trade turnover between the two countries keeps growing and, according to Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, Ali Tayebnia, is expected to reach $6 billion from $2.5 billion now.
It is exactly with this understanding in mind that between 2011 and 2015 Iran donated $500 million to the Afghan government and is going to line up an additional $400 million before the end of this year. The trade turnover between the two countries keeps growing and, according to Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, Ali Tayebnia, is expected to reach $6 billion from $2.5 billion now.
“A new storage tank will soon come to stream in South Khorasan Province saying “Birjand Oil Tank Farm with a capacity of storing 100 thousand barrels of various oil products will start operation in the coming two months,” the agency quoted Managing Director of National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company (NIORDC) Abbas Kazemi, as saying. “Iran is capable of supplying Afghanistan’s oil products demand for the next 30 years urging Afghan officials to enter into negotiations over pipeline construction,” he added.
Kazemi recalled that Iran has reached the stable capacity of export 400 thousand barrels of oil products per day which represents a remarkable record in the present circumstances.
Moreover, the readiness comes after Kabul and Tehran have agreed to create a transit-oriented green custom path in a bid to facilities Afghan traders to transit goods in the shortest possible time in Afghanistan via Chabahar port.
The agreement was reached during a meeting held between Director General of Afghanistan Customs Department Ahmad ReshadPopal and the Head of Islamic Republic of Iran’s Customs Administration (IRICA) MasoudKarbasian in Tehran.
Chabahar port city will be turn as an exports and imports hub for Afghanistan after the implementation of the deal. During meeting, Karbasian said “as two ancient countries, Iran and Afghanistan enjoy common cultures and languages and development of Afghanistan would mark an honor for Iran since expansions of bilateral relations will create deeper ties between the two states”.
