President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran and Moscow need to take more effective joint measures with other countries in the region to help curb terrorism.
The president made the remark in a Thursday meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the joint summit of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Russian city of Ufa.
The two presidents discussed important regional issues and exchanged views on bilateral ties, IRNA reported.
Referring to the rapid developments in the region, Rouhani urged multilateral collaboration among regional countries to counter terrorism and extremism, especially in Iraq and Syria. He also called for cooperation to help end the "tragedy" in Yemen by putting a stop to the killing of women and children by Saudi-led strikes in the impoverished Arab country.
Turning to mutual ties, Rouhani described relations with Moscow as "strategic" and called for enhanced economic ties.
"Relations between Iran and Russia have been developing in various fields including economy, science and tourism, and the two sides have taken good steps to boost cooperation in these areas," he noted.
The Russian president said the "growing" bilateral ties in economic, cultural and scientific fields help set the stage for improving mutual relations in other areas.
Putin also underlined the need for regional collaboration to tackle terrorism and extremism and highlighted the importance of interaction with the Islamic Republic to promote stability and security in the region, especially in Syria.
Historical Relationship
In a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the same day, Rouhani highlighted the role of Iran and India in helping preserve regional stability and addressing terrorism, calling for greater ties with New Delhi not only in the economic and commercial spheres, but also in the campaign to eradicate terrorism from the region.
Describing bilateral ties as "close" and "historical", Rouhani expressed hoped that the meeting would lay the ground for better interactions.
The president referred to the spread of extremism and violence in the region in recent years and expressed regret over the emergence of security crises in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying the presence of Takfiri terrorist groups such as the so-called Islamic State has aggravated the situation in the region.
A Takfiri is a Muslim who accuses followers of other faiths and some Islamic sects of being unbelievers.
He voiced Tehran's readiness to cooperate with India in such fields as energy, investment, tourism and science and technology.
The Indian prime minister highlighted Iran's strategic role in identifying and eliminating the roots of terrorism as well as its efforts to help establish stability and security in the region.
He also said Iran and India can collaborate to put into effect President Rouhani's World Against Violence and Extremism initiative, calling on all nations across the globe to denounce violence and extremism. The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to adopt a resolution based on Iran's proposal in late 2013.
Strategic Ties
The president also met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday and said Iran welcomes expansion of wide-ranging ties with China more than ever before.
"Fortunately, the growing trend of relations between the two countries have gained momentum," he said, hoping the plan proposed for the development of political relations between Tehran and Beijing, which was devised at a recent SCO meeting, will be approved in the shortest possible time.
Rouhani expressed Iran's keenness to increase economic and banking ties with the East Asian country.
The Chinese president referred to the good and growing relations with Tehran and said his country is interested in developing strategic ties with the Islamic Republic.
He also said he will consider the necessary arrangements to pave the way for strengthening economic relations with Iran.
Backing Kabul Gov't
In a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Rouhani said Tehran's constant policy has always been to support legal governments in Kabul.
Noting that Tehran is a supporter of Afghanistan's government and nation, Rouhani underscored the necessity of improving cooperation with the neighboring country.
He said by increased cooperation and investment in such fields as railroads, industries and mining, Iran will help develop Afghanistan.
Ghani asked Iran to help the South Asian country in its campaign against drug smuggling and terrorism.
He called for enhanced economic and commercial ties, hoping that his country will be able to improve its infrastructure as well as stability and security by utilizing the capacities of Iranian experts and engineers.
Rouhani arrived in Russia on Wednesday night to take part in the joint summit of the BRICS group of emerging powers - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - and Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states, which concluded on Friday.
