US Trying to Make Afghanistan Hotbed of Terrorism: Shamkhani
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani denounced the US’ efforts to turn Afghanistan into a platform for the spread of insecurity and terrorism, calling for collective action against foreign interference in Afghan affairs.
In an address to the fifth round of the regional security dialogue about Afghanistan, held in Moscow on Wednesday, Shamkhani deplored the US government’s constant attempts to turn Afghanistan into a platform to spread terrorism and insecurity.
“Insecurity, which has always plagued the Afghans, should not be allowed to become a common scourge for the whole people in the region with extra-regional interference,” he said.
The Iranian official also stressed the need to strengthen stability and national unity in Afghanistan by paving the way for public participation in politics without ethnic and racial bias and to make serious efforts to contain the terrorist groups.
Highlighting Iran’s support for the Afghan people during the past four decades, Shamkhani said the Islamic Republic continues to assist the Afghans and has hosted a large number of them in spite of the cruel, unilateral and illegal sanctions imposed by the US.
“The establishment of security, peace, stability and progress in Afghanistan is our main priority,” the top Iranian security official stated.
He then explained that collective efforts by the neighbors of Afghanistan alone could not ensure sustainable peace and stability in that country, stressing the need for the Afghan caretaker government and the other domestic actors to take tangible action in order to end the vicious circle of insecurity and instability.
“Without commenting on how an inclusive government should be formed in Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the imposition of any political system with resort to foreign interference or internal confrontation will result in nothing but the escalation of instability and insecurity,” Shamkhani added.
The conference started on Wednesday morning with a speech by Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev.
The forum is attended by the secretaries of security councils, advisors and representatives from Russia, Iran, India, China, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
The Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan was launched in 2017. Its mandate is to facilitate political reconciliation between the then-internationally backed Kabul government and the Taliban, establish peace, and ensure regional security.