Iran Ready to Work with Others for Afghan Peace: President
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed the country’s readiness for cooperation with all other governments feeling responsibility for the establishment of peace and calm in Afghanistan.
In a telephone conversation with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Monday, Raisi said the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan must be considered a watershed moment by all political groups in the war-torn country.
“The contemporary history shows that since Americans started to interfere in this country’s affairs, Afghanistan has not seen a good day. We believe that various Afghan groups must consider the US withdrawal a turning point and come up with a governance model in cooperation with each other, which would be accepted by the general public,” he added.
Raeisi further stated that despite cruel sanctions against Iran, the country has so far shouldered all the material and spiritual costs of hosting the Afghan refugees.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has made ceaseless and constant efforts to (help) establish peace and security in Afghanistan, and we are ready to cooperate with all governments that feel responsible for the establishment of peace and calm in Afghanistan," the Iranian president said.
Raisi also touched on trade relations between Iran and Austria, emphasizing that there is no rational ground for reduction of bilateral trade as both countries would benefit from enhanced economic transactions.
“We must safeguard the two countries’ interests and do not allow ill-wishers to impact these relations through different plots,” he noted, according to Press TV.
The Austrian chancellor, for his part, expressed concern over the recent developments in Afghanistan and hailed Iran for hosting the Afghan refugees.
Kurz called for further expansion of relations between the two countries and expressed hope that the Vienna talks aimed at reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action would be resumed as soon as possible and end in success.
The JCPOA was reached between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China in 2015. However, the deal was ditched by former US President Donald Trump in 2018 in spite of Iran’s full compliance with its contractual obligations.
Since April, the remaining signatories to the JCPOA have been holding face-to-face talks in the Austrian capital aimed at bringing the US back to compliance and putting the deal back on track.
