TEHRAN – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Tuesday underlined the necessity of close cooperation with Afghanistan in the war on terrorism, saying Tehran attaches great importance to the stability and security of its neighbors.

Araqchi made the remarks in a meeting with Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul, Fars reported.

“There’s no such thing as good and bad terrorism,” Araqchi said. 

The top diplomat also called for more cooperation between Tehran and Kabul in the fight against the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group.

Araqchi said work on crafting a comprehensive document for joint cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan is reaching its end.

“The work tasked with two other committees has progressed to 90 percent and the finalization of the document will lead to the expansion and flourishing of bilateral relations,” he stated.

Abdullah, for his part, said Iran and Afghanistan have had cooperation in the past to fight terrorism but “confronting common threats needs more cooperation”.

He also downplayed efforts by other countries to undermine Iran-Afghanistan ties, saying, “In its foreign policy, Afghanistan decides based on the principle of its national sovereignty and national security.”

The top Afghan official voiced gratitude to Iran for contributing extensive amounts of help to the Afghan people and government, saying, “Terrorism is the main threat endangering Afghanistan’s national security.”

As a result, he continued, joint cooperation between the two countries on fighting terrorism is necessary and the rise of shared threats makes such cooperation more essential.

Issues related to Afghan refugees, water sharing at border areas were also featured in the talks between Araqchi and Abdullah.

Araqchi also insisted on the need to maintain banking and economic cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan, saying the value of current trade between Iran and Afghanistan is about 3 billion dollars.  
 
MH/PA