Iran, Taliban’s Foreign Ministers Meet in Tehran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, held a meeting in Tehran on Sunday.
Muttaqi arrived in Tehran on Saturday at the head of a high-ranking delegation to hold talks with Iranian officials in a first such trip since the group seized power.
In the meeting, Amirabdollahian said history has proven that the bonds between the people of Iran and Afghanistan are of kinship type.
He also said that the endeavors by the zealous people of Afghanistan showed that no foreign power can occupy and rule their country.
The Iranian foreign minister referred to the positive words of the Taliban leaders regarding the formation of an inclusive government, stressing the need to provide acceptable indicators in this regard, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website reported.
Amirabdollahian also spoke of the humanitarian aid sent by Iran to the suffering people of Afghanistan, saying Tehran will continue to give aid to Afghanistan and will also use regional capacities for more humanitarian assistance to alleviate the problems of the Afghan people.
He further condemned the wrong policies of the US and its allies in Afghanistan over the past 20 years and said sowing discord between Afghanistan and neighboring countries has been a pillar of US policy in the region.
Amirabdollahian stressed that Afghanistan’s assets frozen by the US should be released and given to the country for humanitarian considerations and to help improve the economic situation of the Afghan people.
At the meeting, the Afghan delegation also presented a report on the new Afghan government’s efforts to counter Daesh and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan as well as policies related to fighting drug production and trafficking in the country.
The acting foreign minister of the Taliban thanked the hospitality of Iran toward Afghan refugees over the past 43 years.
Muttaqi referred to the commonalities of the two nations, stressing that Iran has always stood by Afghanistan and the new Afghan government also emphasizes that it is not hostile to any neighboring country.
The Afghan delegation also enumerated the US atrocities against the people of Afghanistan, saying although the US left Afghanistan following a humiliating defeat, it continues its policies against the Afghan people and as a result of these policies, 80% of Afghans are below the poverty line.
Elsewhere in the meeting, the two sides discussed Iran’s right to water of the Helmand River. The Afghan delegation underlined its respect for international treaties, including the 1972 Helmand Agreement, saying the technical delegations of the two countries will meet soon and will resolve related issues.
