Secretary of Iran’s Drug Control Headquarters Brigadier-General Eskandar Momeni said on Tuesday that Iran is ready to help Afghanistan carry out joint development projects and replace poppy cultivation.

Momeni made the remarks during a meeting with Afghanistan’s deputy interior minister on the sidelines of the 63rd Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna.  
“We deeply believe that Iran and Afghanistan are two brothers in a family trapped in the desperate plight of narcotic drugs unwillingly,” he said.
Underlining that Iran attaches special significance to security and stability in Afghanistan, the Iranian official said that Tehran appreciates efforts by Kabul government to control poppy cultivation.
Iran has always stressed the need for global support for Afghanistan’s developmental projects to pursue its alternative cultivation plans, Momeni said.  
He said that the continuation of the current situation will further put young people of both Iran and Afghanistan at risk of this dilemma.