Afghanistan Security Very Crucial To Iran : Official

Ankara, Oct 20, IRNA -- Afghanistan's security is very important to Iran, Iran’s representative to the International Contact Group (ICG) for Afghanistan Seyyed Mohammad Kazem Sajjadpour said here on Friday. He made the remarks in an interview with IRNA. 'Since Afghanistan's security has direct effect on Iran's security, Iran has done its best to have a constructive role in this region; the international community knows well that Afghanistan's security cannot be resolved without support of its neighbors, including the Islamic Republic of Iran.' The high-ranking official noted that bringing peace to Afghanistan needs an international commitment, as well as the help of its neighbors. 'Regional cooperation on Afghanistan's upcoming election and the country's economic situation were discussed in ICG meeting for Afghanistan in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Friday,” Sajjadpour added. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Friday Turkey would continue training the security personnel in Afghanistan after 2014 in an effort to facilitate security in the country. Davutoglu made the remarks at an ICG meetingfor Afghanistan in Ankara, saying that Afghanistan should not be viewed as a country of chaos and instability. 'Afghanistan has been the cradle of many old civilizations and a symbol of coexistence of many cultures. Currently, the people of Afghanistan are trying to rebuild their glorious history,' Davutoglu said. 'There are preparations being made for the period after 2014 when the NATO mission and the transitional process would end,' Davutoglu added. 'Security in the country must be established and supported by training the Afghan army,' the Turkish foreign minister said. The Chairman of ICG for Afghanistan and Germany's Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Michael Koch on Thursday said that 'as of 2014, the nature of our responsibilities in Afghanistan would change and we will have less military but more civilian and capacity developing role in Afghanistan.' Speaking at a press conference at the German Embassy in Ankara on Thursday, Koch said that the end of the duty of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in 2014 would not mean that their responsibility on Afghanistan would also come to an end. 'As of 2014, the nature of our responsibilities in Afghanistan would change. We will have more civilian responsibility and capacity developing role in Afghanistan as of 2014. While we may have less military responsibility, we will continue to be present in Afghanistan,' Koch underlined. 'There are still many things to be done in Afghanistan. Corruption continues to be a major problem in Afghanistan,' Koch noted. 'There will not be a security vacuum once the ISAF leaves Afghanistan. We have to believe that the Afghan army and police forces would fill the gap,' Koch said. In response to a question on talks with the Taliban for a possible consensus, Koch underlined that the issue of a consensus was one of the most important ones in Afghanistan. 'This has to be an Afghan process. Everyone can help but at the end the Afghans must reach a consensus with themselves,' Koch stated./end