DUSHANBE
, July 27, Asia-Plus – Afghan President Hamid Karzai joined his Tajik and Iranian counterparts on July 26 for a tripartite meeting that was held in
Dushanbe
on the same day. Countering drug trafficking, ways to extend
Tajikistan
’s power supply routes into
Iran
, and improvement of transportation routes in
Afghanistan
, as well as regional security figured prominently at the tripartite meeting in
Dushanbe
.
The meeting ended with signing of five documents. The leaders of
Tajikistan
,
Afghanistan
and
Iran
, in particular, adopted the Charter of the Coordination Intergovernmental Council for Transport Corridors and signed a Joint Statement. They also signed a number of memorandums of understanding on cooperation in areas such as economy and fighting against drug trafficking and terrorism.
Following the meeting, President Emomali Rahmonov told journalists that a joint commission would be set up within the next two months within the framework of the Coordination Council and the first meeting of that commission would be held in
Kabul
. “The commission will have broad powers for tackling existing problems and it will take into consideration interests of all sides,” Rahmonov noted. The commission will gather once a year on the level of state heads, and if there are any urgent issues to be resolved the commission may hold extraordinary sessions. “This is the first meeting of heads of three Persian-speaking countries sharing common culture and joining their efforts for tackling many problems and it is of great significance,” the Tajik president stated.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad noted that that it was necessary to lift all obstacles on the way of development of relations between the three countries. “Security of
Tajikistan
and
Afghanistan
depends on
Iran
, and stability of
Iran
depends on security of these countries,” Mr. Ahmadinejad said.
During the meeting the sides also discussed the latest developments in the
Near East
. According to Emomali Rahmonov, the current fighting should stop immediately. “Innocent people, including women and children, were being killed in this fighting,” Mr. Rahmonov noted.
Afghanistan
’s President Hamid Karzai said that
Afghanistan
called for immediate end to the current war in the
Near East
. He said, “We feel sad about the death of dozens of civilians in
Lebanon
and ask for solving the crisis through diplomatic channels.”
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad telling the briefing said, “The standard bearers of human rights failed in the test measuring their truthfulness in
Lebanon
.” He added, ”
Iran
,
Tajikistan
and
Afghanistan
have in their joint statement also condemned any type of relations based on hegemony, and condemned resorting to military force to push forth demands.”
Answering the question about
Iran
’s support to the “Hezbollah” group, Ahmadinejad stated, “The United States has spread this slander in order to conceal its shortcoming.”
Commenting on his telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin from
Dushanbe
, the Iranian president said that they had discussed international issues.
The three leaders urged all sides involved in the conflict to resolve disputes through dialog.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his accompanying delegation left
Dushanbe
for
Tehran
Wednesday evening after a two-day official visit to
Tajikistan
. Official visit of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to
Tajikistan
is still ongoing.
