The secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) called for efforts to ensure lasting security along the border between Iran and Afghanistan.
Ali Shamkhani held a meeting with Afghanistan's national security advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar in Tehran on late Monday, in which the two officials stressed the need for expansion of bilateral cooperation to help establish sustainable security and stability in the region, IRNA reported.
They also called for "extensive" and "strategic" cooperation and continued security negotiations between the two neighboring states.
Shamkhani described the "historical" and "cultural" similarities between the two nations as the basis of deep relations between the two countries, which serve as a deterring factor against the "enemies' divisive policies".
Elsewhere, the SNSC secretary said the exit of coalition forces from Afghanistan could provide the Afghan army and security forces with an appropriate opportunity to prove their capabilities in defending their national interests and fighting terrorism.
The Leader's representative to the SNSC continued, "Spreading insecurity and terror has long been among the policies of some powers to undermine the national capacities and the regional status of Muslim countries," adding, "They have used such tools to justify their military, political and economic interventions in those countries."
He said the real nature of terrorist groups and their supporters has been revealed to the world's people, adding, "The era of using terrorism as an instrument to interfere in regional affairs and pursue colonial policies has come to an end."
Atmar, for his part, praised Iran's active participation in the development process of the war-torn country and described housing Afghan refugees during long years of war and insecurity in Afghanistan as an example of "Iran's positive attitude" toward the Afghan people.
He referred to collective efforts to create political cohesion, the campaign against extremism and terrorism and expansion of cooperation, particularly with the neighboring states, as the priorities of the new Afghan government, saying Iran can play a "valuable role" in this regard.
