Tehran’s foreign minister, the highest-ranking Iranian official to visit the Afghan capital since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, urged for greater cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan during his visit on Sunday.
During a one-day visit, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Taliban government Prime Minister Hassan Akhund and his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, to discuss relations between the neighboring countries that dispute over problems including water resources and migration.
According to a statement from the Afghan foreign ministry, the two parties discussed border concerns, water rights, economic cooperation, and the plight of Afghan refugees in Iran.
Araghchi praised the countries’ economic, trade and political relations in his talks with Muttaqi, according to an Iranian statement, adding he hoped that “during this trip we will be able to further expand the ties in line with the national interests of both sides”, emphasising security and economic arenas.
Muttaqi “expressed hope that (Araghchi’s) visit to Kabul would create further momentum in relations between the two countries and they would enter a new phase of bilateral relations”, the Afghan foreign ministry said.
Iran has maintained active diplomatic contacts with the new Afghan rulers, while not yet formally recognizing the Taliban regime, while several other nations closed their embassies in Kabul or downgraded diplomatic relations following the Taliban takeover that overthrew the US-backed government.
Over the years, Iran has sent a number of delegations to Afghanistan, including a parliamentary trip in August 2023 to talk about water rights.
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