Top Diplomats Discuss Tehran-Kabul Ties, Afghan Peace Process
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The foreign ministers of Iran and Afghanistan talked about a range of issues at a meeting in Tajikistan, including ways to enhance relations between the two neighbors and help the Afghan peace efforts.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Hanif Atmar had the meeting on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting of the Heart of Asia initiative in Dushanbe on Monday.
The two senior diplomats discussed the peace process in Afghanistan and ways for closer interaction between Tehran and Kabul.
Denouncing the attempts to negatively influence the public opinion about Iran-Afghanistan ties as a sign that certain countries are worried about the close ties between the two neighbors, Zarif said Iran has removed a series of obstacles to consular affairs faced by Afghan nationals.
For his part, Atmar expressed Afghanistan’s gratitude to Iran for its assistance in extinguishing a recent fire at a customs post near the common border, and hailed the Islamic Republic as his country’s closest friend.
Calling for the promotion of cooperation and constructive consultations with Iran in the political and economic fields, he voiced Kabul’s readiness to hold a meeting of joint economic commission in the coming weeks.
The two diplomats are in Tajikistan for the 9th annual ministerial meeting of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process.
The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process is a regional initiative developed by Afghanistan and Turkey, which was launched in November 2011 in Istanbul.
The process aims to promote regional security, economic and political cooperation centered on Afghanistan through dialogue and confidence building measures.
