DUSHANBE (Dispatches) – Iran and Tajikistan have discussed ways of bolstering relations in various fields after a period of relatively strained ties.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi met Tajik Minister of Energy and Water Resources Usmonali Usmonzoda, the official website of the Foreign Ministry reported on Saturday.
Sarmadi voiced the Islamic Republic’s readiness to deepen relations with Tajikistan in all areas.   
Usmonzoda, for his part, hailed close cooperation between Tehran and Dushanbe in the area of energy and praised the role of Iranian companies and engineers in his country’ development projects.  
Sarmadi also met Tajik Foreign Minister Sirodjidin Mukhridinovich Aslov and discussed issues of interest.
Heading a high-ranking delegation, Sarmadi traveled to Tajikistan to attend a two-day conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to boost cooperation in fighting terrorism and discussing pressing regional and global issues.
The Iranian deputy foreign minister on Friday Chief Executive of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah, saying the Islamic Republic will spare no effort to assist the Central Asian country to restore security.
Sarmadi also warned about the relocation of terrorist groups to Afghanistan and the Central Asia after their defeat in Iraq and Syria.
"We consider the security of Afghanistan as our own security,” he said, adding Tehran will help Kabul in any possible way to counter terrorist groups.
For his part, Abdullah voiced Afghanistan’s readiness to accelerate the implementation of a comprehensive document on Iran-Afghanistan cooperation.
The Afghan government’s top priorities in cooperation with Iran, as stipulated in the comprehensive cooperation deal, are security, water issues and economic partnership, he said.