Iran hosts high-level regional security summit

By Muhammet Kursun

TEHRAN

Iran held a high-level meeting on Wednesday to discuss regional security and cooperation against terrorism.

Top officials from Russia, China, India and Afghanistan attended the “Dialogue for Regional Security” meeting in the capital Tehran.

Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, welcomed Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Afghan security adviser Hamdullah Mohib, India’s Prime Ministry security advisor Ajit Doval, and China’s Dan Ching Wi.

In a speech, Shamkhani spoke out against foreign interference in the region, saying that the region itself should provide regional security.

Patrushev, for his part, said: “The U.S. military presence in Afghanistan has not yet managed to bring stability and has deepened the security crisis.”

Mohib stated that an effective fight against terrorist groups in Afghanistan is impossible as long as they get financial and arms support from overseas.

Doval argued that terrorists empowering themselves through drug trafficking in Central Asia shows that the issue should be taken seriously.

Chinese official called for joint efforts for cooperation in information-sharing and establishing a database on terrorism. Wi said China is ready to mobilize the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for an anti-terror campaign.

In the meeting’s final declaration, foreign interference, drug trafficking, and terrorism were underlined as factors that threaten regional economic and social development. Radicalism and violence were also identified as sources of terrorism.