Foreign ministers of Iran and Afghanistan and deputy foreign minister of Tajikistan in a meeting in the western city of Herat on Saturday underlined the need for the further bolstering and consolidation of trilateral cooperation among the three neighboring states.

Economic Affairs and Finance Minister Davoud Danesh Jafari and Central Bank Governor Tahmasb Mazaheri left Tehran for Washington last week to attend a joint meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB).

French ambassador to Iran stressed that cultural cooperation between Tehran and Paris would secure expansion of the two countries’ ties in future.

Iranian, Afghan and Pakistani foreign ministers in a statement issued at the end of a trilateral meeting in the western city of Herat on Friday stressed the need for the establishment of security and stability in Afghanistan.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to pay a visit to Armenia on Monday.

The 17th meeting of the foreign ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states started work in the western Afghan city of Herat Saturday morning.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here on Thursday that his country is much capable of defending itself and its interests, underlining that the Iranian nation will stand up to aggressors and will not give up even an iota of its rights.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed reports that his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin had brought fresh nuclear proposals to Tehran during his Tuesday visit to the Islamic Republic.

France’s Total and Royal Dutch Shell must finalize their gas deals with Iran by June or the giant South Pars project will go ahead without them, an Iranian official was quoted as saying.

Iran and Pakistan are close to finalizing a gas purchase agreement for the $7.4 billion IPI pipeline during technical talks in Islamabad, even as officials said India’s decision not to take part in the talks did not mean it had pulled out of the trilateral project.