Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani (R) talks with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) during their meeting at the prime minister's residence in Islamabad February 16, 2012. (Photo:Reuters)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday said all problems in the region were the result of foreign interference, following a two-day summit with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts.
"All problems are coming from outside. In order to promote their goals and ambitions... they don't want to allow our nations to develop," he told a news conference in Islamabad, without specifically naming any foreign power.
Central to the summit is the 10-year war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, where all parties to the conflict now accept that negotiations are the only solution to the fighting that has killed thousands of people.
Flanked by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani head of state Asif Ali Zardari, and speaking through a translator, the outspoken Iranian leader said "we should stick together in order to advance and achieve our goals".
"All these powers are interfering in our affairs. We believe that the problems of the region must be solved regionally," he said.
"We are here to strengthen the steps in order to solidify cooperation among the three nations. We are going to move towards removing the problems... and we should deny others the opportunity to interfere in our affairs," he added.
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