TEHRAN - Gholamali Khoshroo, the Iranian envoy to the UN, said on Thursday that Afghanistan should not be turned into an “instrument for conflict and rivalry”, noting that cooperation is required to stabilize the country.

“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported establishing peace, stability and developing Afghanistan and will continue supporting,” Khoshroo said in a meeting held at the UN headquarters in New York to examine the situation in Afghanistan.

He said that peace and stability in Afghanistan mean peace and stability in Iran’s borders.

The diplomat reiterated Tehran’s position that any kind of cooperation with Taliban is detrimental to Afghanistan’s peace and stability.

He added Iran has prioritized expansion of relations with Afghanistan.

Elsewhere, he described drug trafficking as one of the most important financial resource for terrorism and said Iran and Afghanistan will expand cooperation in fight against drug smuggling.

NA/PA