Iran, Russia, China, India, Afghanistan hold security talks in Tehran
Senior security officials from Iran, Russia, China, India and Afghanistan have attended a meeting in Tehran to explore ways of promoting peace and the fight against terrorism in the region.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani hosted Wednesday’s meeting dubbed ‘Regional Security Dialogue,’ which was joined by his counterparts from Russia, China, India and Afghanistan, Nikolai Patrushev, Dang Jing Wing, Ajit Doval, and Hamdullah Mohib, respectively.
Speaking at the event, Shamkhani called for closer security and intelligence cooperation among the participating nations towards the enhancement of the ongoing fight against terrorism in the region.
Regional states, he said, need to take security matters into their own hands and help prevent foreign intervention in the region.
The meeting came only four days after a terrorist attack targeted a military parade in the southern Iranian city of Ahvaz, leaving scores of casualties.
Commenting on the tragedy, Shamkhani said the terror attack once again laid bare the “double-standard attitude” adopted by certain states, which claim to be on the frontline of the fight on terror.
He censured the “instrumentalization” of terrorism as well as the financial, political, logistical and ideological support for terror groups as examples of such double-standard polices.
Afghanistan on agenda
During the meeting, Patrushev also addressed the situation in Afghanistan, which has been grappling with Taliban and Daesh militancy over the years.
The Russian official warned against the growing capabilities of the Taliban militant group despite the presence of thousands of American forces in Afghanistan.
“The Taliban’s military successes prove the futility of attempts to bet on the use of military force in persuading Afghanistan’s traditional opposition to negotiate,” he said. “It can be stated that this is happening despite the United States' 17-year military presence in Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, commenting on the security situation in Afghanistan, Mohib said the terrorists wreaking havoc there could not be dealt an effective blow as long as they enjoy financial and logistical support from abroad.
The Chinese and Indian security officials also addressed the meeting, expressing their countries’ readiness to help devise mechanisms to cut the flow of foreign aid to the terrorists operating in the region.
The participating states also collectively condemned the recent bloody terror attack in Iran’s Ahvaz.
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