Tabnak – As the possible threat of the rise of extremist groups linked to their terrorist counterparts in the Middle East is becoming a concern for Iran and its neighbors alike, Iran’s foreign minister calls for a regional strategy to tackle the threat, moving toward safeguarding the regional states’ core national interests.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization, ECO, to forge a common regional strategy against terrorist groups and stop “the spread of their ideology of hate and cut their financial resources”.
Saying that destinies of all member states of ECO are intertwined, Zarif warned of the persistent threat of violent extremism in the region even after the end of Daesh terrorists’ self-proclaimed caliphate.
“Despite the territorial defeat of Daesh and other terrorist groups and the destruction of their self-proclaimed caliphate, extensive networks of extremist groups, especially Daesh in West, South and Central Asia, represent the most serious threat to the ECO region,” Zarif said on Tuesday in a speech at the 23rd Meeting of the ECO Council of Foreign Ministers in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.
He further emphasized that “We need to synergize and forge a common regional strategy to halt the spread of their ideology of hate and cut their financial resources…”
He added that many parts of the region have been destabilized for close to two decades due to the mutually reinforcing foreign intervention, terrorism and extremism.
The top Iranian diplomat emphasized that the Islamic Republic has always been ready to cooperate in drawing up a "comprehensive counter-extremism and terrorism strategy that fits the situation" in the region.
He noted that geographical proximity and several affinities in so many areas, including civilization, culture, religion and shared history have facilitated cooperation among ECO member countries.
As another part of his schedule in Dushanbe, Zarif on Monday conferred with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on bilateral relations as well as regional and international developments.
Given cultural commonalities, the two sides in the meeting called for expansion of mutual relations and cooperation in various political, economic, cultural, energy and technological know-how sectors.
Iranian foreign minister also held a meeting with his Turkmen counterpart Raşit Meredow discussed bilateral relations. Following up the agreements signed by the two countries during President Hassan Rouhani’s trip to Turkmenistan and regional issues were among the topics discussed during the meeting.
It should be noted that on the sidelines of the ECO meeting, a handicraft exhibition will be held to demonstrate products of the ECO member-states.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan are ten ECO ten members.
