Iranian FM holds phone talks with Kazakh, Tajik counterparts

TEHRAN, Aug.5 (MNA) - Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in separate phone conversations with his Tajik and Kazakh counterparts on Thursday discussed developments in the Middle East and Central Asia. In his talks with Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov who holds the rotating presidency of the OIC foreign ministers council, the two top diplomats discussed the deteriorating situation in Syria. During his phone conversation with Tajik counterpart Hamrah Khan Zarifi, Salehi discussed bilateral relations, developments in the region and the recent conflict in Gorno-Badakhshan Province in Tajikistan. Salehi insisted on the need for stability and security in Tajikistan and called for peaceful solution to the conflict in the province. About two weeks ago, security chief of Badakhshan Province, near the border with Afghanistan, was assassinated by anonymous people. Following the incident, the state forces clashed with armed assailants in which some people were killed or injured from both sides. Government pins the murder on local rebels.