Monday, April 02, 2012 -
Iranian news service Fars said Monday that Iran will sign security agreements with states in Central Asia over the coming year.
The security agreements concern a variety of security threats to the region, the news agency says.
“To effectively fight drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime such agreements must be signd,” Fars quoted Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar as saying.
“This year, we will also strengthen our cooperation with Afghanistan and Pakistan regarding campaign against drug trafficking.”
The statement comes one week after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia Robert Blake made a tour of the region and urged Central Asian states to uphold international sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program.
Iran in recent months has been strengthening its bilateral relations to states in the region, especially Tajikistan with which it shares its Persian heritage and language.
On Monday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stressing the importance of strengthening relations between the two Caspian states.