President Hassan Rouhani, in a phone call with his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani on Thursday, hailed Kabul's vigilant stance against plots to drive a wedge between the two friendly neighbors and other regional nations. "Fortunately, the Afghan government has adopted a vigilant position to protect the unity and thwart schemes aimed at sowing division in the region," President.ir quoted Rouhani as saying. He reiterated Iran's support for peace efforts in the impoverished country beset by years of insurgency and foreign intervention. "The Islamic Republic of Iran is in favor of lasting peace, stability and security in Afghanistan and believes it is in line with [Iran's] security policy and the region's peace and stability," Rouhani said. Ghani vowed that his government would counter any divisive plots by the two sides' common foes. "We will never allow enemies to create rifts [between us]," he said. Iran has had close relations with Afghanistan over the years and hosts a large Afghan refugee community for more than 30 years ever since Afghans first fled the Soviet invasion.
