Afghan First Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim has stressed the necessity of expanding defense cooperation between Afghanistan and Iran, Press TV reported.
In a meeting with Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi on Saturday, Fahim hailed Iran's role and cooperation in providing security for the region and Afghanistan.
Fahim arrived in Tehran earlier on Saturday on an official visit to hold talks with the country's high-ranking officials, and was officially welcomed by Rahimi at the presidential palace.
"Iran and Afghanistan are friend and brother countries, and in the era of Afghanistan's development we expect the relations of the two countries to expand in all fields," Mehr News Agency quoted Qasim Fahim as saying.
Vahidi described strengthening Afghanistan's army as reinforcing Iran's army and said, "We are ready to offer our experiences and capabilities in this regard."
The Iranian defense minister added that Afghanistan's progress and development is feasible through expanding regional security and cooperation.
Vahidi also stressed the importance of expanding cooperation among regional countries especially states that share the same language.
In another meeting with Iranian Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani, Fahim called for Iran's help and cooperation in resolving the problems of Afghan prisoners in the country.
Larijani assured Fahim that the Judiciary would take action in accordance with the Islamic Republic's law.
The Iranian judiciary chief pointed to the US-led military presence in Afghanistan and said unfortunately with the presence of these forces the production of narcotics has increased.
Afghanistan continues to account for 90 percent of the world's illicit opium and heroin production, the UN drugs monitoring body said in its 2010 report.
The poppy production and drug business in Afghanistan has come at a heavy cost for neighboring Iran. With a 900-kilometer (560-mile) common border with Afghanistan, Iran has been used as the main conduit for smuggling Afghan drugs to dealers in Europe.
The drug trade originating in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 Iranian police officers over the past 30 years.
"This matter has increased the problems of Iran and Afghanistan's neighboring countries," Larijani said, adding that Tehran hopes these problems would lessen through measures taken by Afghan officials.
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