The Taliban caretaker government delegation arrived in Tehran on Saturday for talks on expanding economic relations between Kabul and Tehran.
The meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was held at the foreign ministry compound in the capital Tehran.
During the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian, referring to the important position of Afghanistan in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and expressing his satisfaction with the departure of the American invaders from this country, who have caused great suffering to the Afghan nation for many years, said: “The independence and development of Afghanistan, the comfort and welfare of the people, and the stability as well as security of this country are very important for the Islamic Republic.”
Amir-Abdollahian added that the Islamic Republic of Iran, considering the neighborly relations, is determined to help Afghanistan overcome the current situation.
Referring to the war crimes committed by the Zionist regime against the oppressed Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank under the full support of the United States, the top Iranian diplomat added: “Afghanistan's positions regarding Palestine and the current developments in Gaza are of interest, and the Palestinian people expect Islamic countries to effectively support them against the war crimes and genocide of the Zionist regime.”
The Iranian foreign minister considered the development of economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries to be important in line with common interests of Tehran and Kabul. Considering the responsibility of the Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan in the economic field, as well as the economic ministers accompanying him, he emphasized the readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran for strengthening economic relations, and also those in the fields of trade, industry, and new technologies with Afghanistan.
Amir-Abdollahian, referring to the population of several million Afghan immigrants who came to Iran following the special conditions of Afghanistan, said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has made a lot of efforts to host Afghan brothers and sisters. However, he said: “Considering the various dimensions of issues, matters, and problems related to immigrants, it is necessary to plan tactfully and manage the issue of immigration and issues and problems related to immigrants with joint cooperation.”
The Iranian minister of foreign affairs also considered the issue of water and securing the water rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran to be very important and emphasized that the sensitivity of the water issue and its direct impact on the environment, life, and livelihood of the people require that the realization of Iran's water rights be given special attention by the caretaker government of Afghanistan.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, while thanking the Islamic Republic of Iran for its warm welcome and hosting, said: In addition to upholding neighborly necessities, developing cooperation with Iran is a conscious choice for us, and we want to develop this cooperation in various fields, especially economically and commercially. We are fully prepared and we will maintain friendly relations with Iran.”
He appreciated Iran's valuable assistance to the victims of the Harat earthquake and considered it as an indication of the generosity of the Iranian government and nation.
He also considered the Israeli regime's crimes against the Palestinian Muslim nation intolerable and expressed hope that all Muslim governments and nations will rush to help the Palestinian Muslim brothers and sisters.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar pointed out that Iran has always stood by the Afghan nation since the American invasion of Afghanistan and said: “Iran has been hosting Afghan immigrants generously for years, and we are grateful to the Islamic Republic of Iran from the bottom of our hearts.”
Referring to the fact that the two countries are neighbors, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said that Afghanistan is interested in increasing its foreign trade relations through the transit routes of the Islamic Republic of Iran and making more use of the capacities of Chabahar Port and Bandar Abbas for its exports and imports. He also called for trilateral cooperation between Iran, Afghanistan, and India in this field.
In this meeting, the ministers of trade, finance, transportation, and aviation of the Afghan caretaker government also expressed their views regarding the joint cooperation of the two countries in their respective areas of responsibility and put forward suggestions and ideas by mentioning the issues and priorities.
Also, given the presence of the anti-narcotics officials of the two countries in the meeting, the necessity of expanding the cooperation between the responsible bodies of the two countries was emphasized.
KI