Zarif: Spread of terror, Afghan insecurity endanger Kyrgyzstan, Iran

During a meeting with his Kyrgyz counterpart, Ruslan Kazakbaev, in Bishkek on Tuesday, Zarif thanked the government and people of Kyrgyzstan for their hospitality and congratulated them on holding successful elections.

“Today, I am very happy to be in Bishkek. I have the opportunity to talk to you at the start of the new government and emphasize the importance of Kyrgyzstan’s relations with Iran,” he said.

The top Iranian diplomat also referred to the deep historic, cultural and civilizational ties between the two nations and the people of the region.

“We have common interests and common threats,” such as insecurity and instability in neighboring Afghanistan and the spread of extremism and terrorism, Zarif said.

The common interests, he added, include benefiting from the regional conditions to expand economic development and providing access to international waters and transit.

Zarif is in Kyrgyzstan on the second leg of his four-nation Central Asian tour that has already taken him to Uzbekistan, with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan as his next destinations.

In Uzbekistan, he met with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov.