Iran Ready to Host Extraordinary Ministerial Meeting on Afghanistan
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s most senior diplomat expressed the country’s readiness to hold an extraordinary meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring states, saying Tehran is also prepared for cooperation with Pakistan to ensure regional security.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and Mohammad Sadiq Khan, the Pakistani prime minister’s special envoy for Afghanistan, met in Tehran on Tuesday.
Khan has traveled to Tehran for consultations about the latest developments in Afghanistan.
In the meeting, Amirabdollahian extended the Iranian president’s warm greetings to the president and prime minister of Pakistan and offered his own greetings to Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto.
Amirabdollahian also described the relations between Tehran and Islamabad as excellent and underlined the need to expand cooperation between the two neighbors in all areas, especially regional security.
He then noted that Iran considers Pakistan’s security as its own security, saying Tehran is ready for any cooperation that would strengthen security in the region.
Amirabdollahian referred to the presence of over 4.5 million Afghan nationals in Iran, including 1.5 million people who entered the country in the wake of the last year’s developments in Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover.
He reaffirmed Iran’s support for peace and stability in Afghanistan that would pave the way for the return of refugees to their own country. Amirabdollahian said Iran will do its utmost to establish peace and calm in Afghanistan and bring welfare to its people.
He also referred to the meeting of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighbors in Tehran held last year, saying that implementing the resolutions of the Tehran meeting can remove security threats to Afghanistan and the region and pave the way for peace, stability and development in Afghanistan.
Amirabdollahian further said the Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to host an extraordinary meeting of the top diplomats of Afghanistan’s neighbors.
For his part, the Pakistani envoy outlined his country's views about the ongoing developments in Afghanistan and its status quo, which have reduced the living standards of the Afghan people and increased insecurity due to domestic conditions and foreign pressures.
He then stressed the significance of the constructive role of regional countries and Afghanistan’s neighbors, particularly Iran and Pakistan.
Khan further pointed to his positive consultations with Iranian officials about Afghanistan and regional security, stressing that Iran and Pakistan have been most affected by the developments in Afghanistan due to the huge refugee influx from the country as well as the decreased living standards, the rising insecurity and a surge in drug trafficking there.
He added that cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad can guarantee help to the Afghan people and considerably reduce the destructive impact of the situation for them and the entire region.