Kabul, July 17, IRNA - Iran's new military attache to Kabul, Asghar Belokian, on Tuesday submitted a message from Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar to Afghan minister of defense Abdulrahim Wardak.

Wardak said at the meeting that Iran-Afghan defense cooperation is an inevitable necessity.

He then welcomed expansion of relations between Iranian and Afghan armed forces.

Iran's ambassador to Afghanistan Mohammad-Reza Bahrami was also present in the meeting.

Wardak visited Iran so far at the invitation of Najjar, during which the two sides agreed on formation of a joint defense commission to mobilize Afghan army.

Iran and Afghanistan have had strong cooperation and Tehran has thus far contributed to Afghan reconstruction.

Iran has provided its neighbor with a credit of dlrs 560 million, 50 percent of which has been spent on health, agricultural and road building projects. Dlrs 254 million of the credit is in form of grant.

Iran-Afghanistan commercial transactions in 2006 surmounted to dlrs 500 million, the figure is expected to double this year.

The two sides share 940 kilometers common border, known as border of stability and peace.

... Payvand News - 7/18/07 ... --