Diplomat Renews Iran’s Calls for Negotiated Solution to Afghan Crisis
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran insists that the crisis in neighboring Afghanistan should be settled through negotiations, a ranking diplomat said.
Director General of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s West Asia Department Rasoul Mousavi held a meeting with Chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul on Thursday.
In the meeting, the Iranian diplomat underlined that Tehran favors a negotiated solution to the crisis in Afghanistan.
Iran supports the efforts to put an end to the conflicts in Afghanistan and resolve the crisis through dialogue, Mousavi added.
He also noted that the Iranian people and government favor an end to the long war in Afghanistan, IRNA reported.
Abdullah, for his part, appreciated Iran for supporting the Afghan peace process, and stressed the importance of cooperation among the regional states to ensure peace and stability.
War is not the solution, the Afghan leader underlined, adding that no side can benefit from the continuation of the conflicts in his country.
He also said the Afghan government has always called for a peaceful solution to the differences and has honored its commitment, but it would not allow anyone to force their will on Kabul.
The security situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating in recent months as the Taliban have been overrunning many districts in rapid succession.
The Kabul government has launched a “national mobilization” in response, arming local volunteers and resurrecting militia groups to take on the Taliban.
Iranian officials maintain that the crisis in Afghanistan requires a political and negotiated solution, and that the peace process should include all Afghan groups without any foreign interference.
