Iran Considers Afghanistan’s Progress Its Own: Ayatollah Khamenei

Ayatollah Khamenei, in a meeting on Monday with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, described Afghan people as courageous, zealous and intelligent, adding, "Afghanistan enjoys the two great benedictions of natural and human wealth and that the country can make good progress by properly using those resources," according to the Leader's official website.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution highlighted the Iranian people’s hospitality vis-à-vis Afghan people during years of war and after that, saying, “Unlike certain countries, such as the US and UK, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always treated the Afghan people with respect, brotherhood and hospitality and will withhold no technical, engineering and infrastructural assistance for Afghanistan to exploit its natural resources.”

Ayatollah Khamenei called for a swift settlement of the issue of Iran-Afghanistan border rivers, saying, “Such issues should not give rise to enmity and rancor in the relations between countries like Iran and Afghanistan that share borders, culture and needs.”

During the meeting, which was also attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Ashraf Ghani expressed happiness with trilateral negotiations held in Tehran, particularly the agreement for transit communications with India through Iran’s southeastern Chabahar Port.

“We always appreciate the hospitality of the Iranian people and Your Excellency’s positive view of Afghanistan and we hope that the Tehran negotiations will prepare the ground for increasingly broader relations.”

Ghani added, “In the coming weeks, an expert meeting will be held to discuss issues related to the two countries’ use of border rivers and we hope that this issue will be settled within a proper framework.”