Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has urged all countries in the region to strengthen relations, saying common enemies of regional nations have reached stalemate.
“Common enemies of regional nations are faced with many woes and internal and foreign issues while they are in conflict with each other. They have reached a deadlock,” said President Ahmadinjead in a joint meeting with his Tajik, Afghan and Pakistani counterparts Emomali Rakhmon, Hamid Karzai and Asif Ali Zardari in Tajikistan’s capital of Dushanbe, on Sunday.
This issue can help people in the region get rid of the interference of extra-regional powers, he added.
He noted that Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan enjoy valuable human resources and economic and scientific capabilities which can play a very effective role in making progress.
The presidents of the four countries emphasized that joint cooperation would be the most effective solution to problems in the region.
They highlighted the significance of bolstering joint cooperation to fight against terrorism and smuggling of narcotics and to improve welfare of regional nations.
The presidents also called for strengthening political, economic and cultural cooperation.
They agreed to hold the fourth trilateral summit of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan and the second four-sided meeting among Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan in the Afghan capital of Kabul.
On Sunday, Ahmadinejad, Karzai, Zardari and Rakhmon attended the third International Nowruz Celebrations in Dushanbe and stressed the importance of strengthening amicable relations and bonds.
Nowruz, which coincides with the first day of spring on the solar calendar, is mostly celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan.
It is an ancient festivity that promotes values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as reconciliation and neighborliness, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among different peoples and communities.
——Agencies