Iran’s President: US Should Leave Region
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The president of Iran denounced the US destructive role in the Middle East, stressing that Americans ought to leave the region in order for regional security and stability to materialize.
“Unfortunately, the Americans have shown that they violate all of their commitments; therefore, they had better leave the region for the sake of development of stability and security,” President Hassan Rouhani said in a meeting with his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani on Friday, held on the sidelines of the 19th Summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek
He also highlighted Iran’s unwavering support for the Afghan government and nation in the past 40 years, stressing, “Tehran will do its best for strengthening stability and development in Afghanistan.”
“I hope that the joint economic cooperation of the two countries convenes soon to further deepen relations,” the Iranian president added.
Rouhani also described drugs as a major problem for the region and said, “Unfortunately, cultivating opium poppies in Afghanistan has increased, and it needs to be addressed seriously by the Afghan government with the help of international organizations.”
For his part, the Afghan president voiced Kabul’s willingness to develop cooperation with Tehran in all fields of mutual interest.
“We welcome Iran’s key role in Afghanistan’s peace talks and the issue of drugs is one of the topics that has to be addressed within the framework of bilateral and international negotiations,” Ghani added, according to the Iranian president’s official website.
“Tehran and Kabul should work together against drug trafficking, extremism and terrorism,” he said, stressing that Afghanistan will never allow its soil to be used against Iran.
