Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday said that insurgency is a common threat to the region and the world, but warned that terrorism will destabilize the security of nations that are sponsoring terror groups. 

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani, Zarif called for further cooperation between the two neighbors to fight common threats. 

He said that Iran and Afghanistan have a lot of opportunities to cooperate in various fields such as in the fight against terrorism, violence, narcotics and human trafficking. 

“It is very sad that the region is grappling with violence, terror and extremism issues due to the moves by foreigners, there is still the need to strengthen the fight against terrorism, violence and extremism in the region,” said Zarif.

Meanwhile, Afghan acting foreign minister Rabbani said insurgency was a common threat to Afghanistan, Iran and the region, and called for collective efforts by the international community to root out the menace.

“Until governments cooperate with each other against the threats emerging from terrorism, other options, including relations defined in the framework of governments, will not secure us against threats,” said Rabbani.  

The two sides also agreed to expand bilateral relations on commerce and the issue of refugees.

According to Zarif, the movement of terrorist groups posed a major threat to the region.

Zarif also underscored the need for the resolution of issues related to shared water resources between Iran and Afghanistan, saying it would benefit their environments.

“There is the opportunity for a wider cooperation on water resources and water management and this will help to protect the environment,” said Zarif.

Zarif also met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. They exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international issues.

“The coalitions made behind the scene like Russia, Iran and China coalition and the coalition of other countries with the Taliban, they want to portray to the Afghan government that they do not have a role in these coalitions,” said MP Khalid Pashton.

“In view of rising concerns among regional countries such as Iran over Daesh, we can evaluate the trip at this juncture as being a positive trip,” said political analyst Latif Nazari.

Bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Iran have faced many ups and downs over recent months after reports surfaced in the media about Iran’s contacts with the Taliban.