Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met this afternoon with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The Afghan and Tajik Presidents are in Tehran to attend the tripartite summit of Persian-speaking countries.
During the meeting, which was also attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan share many common grounds and reiterated: "Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan are cousins, and their interests depend on close cooperation between the three countries and implementing the agreements that have been signed."
Ayatollah Khamenei added: "Progress, security and development of Afghanistan and Tajikistan will benefit Iran, and Iran's progress and security is undoubtedly to the benefit of the countries of the region."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution touched on the Islamic Republic's scientific and technological advances and reiterated: "Iran is ready to share its experiences and advances in various scientific and technological areas with Tajikistan and Afghanistan."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that it is necessary to build cooperation accords on the basis of the common grounds: "There are no other countries in the world that share as many common grounds - in terms of language, religion, culture and historical heritage - as Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan."
His Eminence stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation and added: "The agreements that were signed during today's summit in Tehran should be implemented as soon as possible, and the results should be tangible before the next summit."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution reiterated: "Definitely there are some people who are opposed to this cooperation, and they are making efforts to thwart cooperation between the three countries, but it is necessary to stand up to them in a wise manner."
Ayatollah Khamenei expressed his sorrows at the hardships suffered by the people of Afghanistan due to the presence of foreign military forces and stressed: "Foreigners who entered Afghanistan with the slogan of establishing security and democracy are now targeting civilians, and their presence has brought nothing but trouble and corruption for the people of Afghanistan."
His Eminence said that the global powers' justifications for their invasion of Afghanistan and their pressure on Iran are sheer lies, further reiterating: "These powers are just after their interests and their unending greed in the region, but the conditions of the region and the capabilities of these powers are very different from the past."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added: "Today's America is very different from the America of 20 years ago because different issues, including Islamic Awakening, have limited their capabilities."
President Emomali Rahmon expressed his gratitude to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and described the summit of Persian-speaking countries in Tehran as historic. He further added: "We hope that the cooperation among the three countries will be further expanded after the implementation of the agreements made during the summit in Tehran."
President Hamid Karzai also expressed his satisfaction with the meeting and added: "We are truly satisfied with the summit, and we hope the new agreements will help strengthen the relations between the three countries in all areas."