TEHRAN, Dec 21: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that his government feels that strengthening friendly ties with Pakistan and Afghanistan will ensure peace and security in the region.

At a meeting with Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri in the Kermanshah Provincial Governorate Headquarters on Wednesday, Mr Ahmadinejad said: “The regional countries have shared destinies and interests, which is a good reason for maintaining friendly attitude with one another.”

“Some corrupt and opportunist groups try to foment tension, promote insecurity, cultivate narcotics, smuggle them, and generally speaking, create crises in the region in a bid to secure interests of global arrogance and neo-colonialist powers.”

“The regional countries are faced with many shared threats and hazards that can be warded off through stronger consultations among their leaders and top officials.”

On Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, Mr Ahmadinejad said: “Construction of a natural gas pipeline from Iran through Pakistan to India would not only lead to strengthening friendly ties among our three countries, but also decrease tensions in the entire region.”

He said construction of the `peace pipeline’ would lead to a lowering of tensions between India and Pakistan, which `is one of the reasons why Iran is looking for a trilateral agreement on the issue’.

He said Pakistan and Iran had an important role to play in forging unity among the Ummah.

“In order to play such a role most effectively we need to have a stronger interaction and maintain constant bilateral contacts. Iran is interested in the advancement and security of Pakistani nation and is sure our Pakistani friends, too, would never permit enemies to harm our excellent relations.”

Mr Kasuri said Islamabad attached `great importance’ to strong ties with Tehran.

He said Pakistan is determined to finalise the gas pipeline contract with Iran & India. “We will under no circumstances permit other states, particularly outsider powers, to influence Tehran-Islamabad ties.

“The existence of a strong and united Afghanistan is to the benefit of Pakistan and we support securing Afghan territorial integrity and reconstruction movement.”—PPI