The Iranian president said that NATO surrounded Russia and China using the slogan of combating terrorism. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made his speech on March 26 in Dushanbe at the opening of the Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan in Dushanbe.
During his speech, the U.S. delegation led by Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Robert Blake left the room, returning only after Ahmadinejad finished speaking.
The Iranian president said that the cause of all troubles in Afghanistan lies in the presence of NATO forces on Afghan territory, in particular the U.S. military presence. “The Afghan people are attacked in their homes. Is this the problem of the Afghan people? Same situation in Pakistan, Palestine, and in several African countries. The problem comes from NATO and NATO policy, which under the guise of fighting terrorism, went to Afghanistan and Now with the same slogan to surround Russia and China,” said Ahmadinejad.