TEHRAN – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has underlined the necessity of promoting cooperation with Iran, calling for the Islamic Republic’s active role in the Afghanistan peace talks.

Ghani made the remarks in a meeting with President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek on Friday.

He highlighted Iran’s status and role in the region, saying Kabul is after promoting collaboration with Iran in all fields, IRNA reported.

“We favor Iran’s bigger role in the Afghanistan peace talks and the issue of drugs is among the issues which should be pursued within the framework of bilateral and international talks,” Ghani said.

Tehran and Kabul should join hands to fight terrorism, drugs, and extremism, the Afghani president asserted.

President Ghani also said, “We will never allow Afghan territory to be used against Iran.”

The 19th SCO Summit was held on June 13-14 with leaders of 11 countries, including Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan and Iran in attendance.

MH/PA