Iran’s foreign minister meets with Muttaqi, Acting PM Hassan Akhund
Iran and Afghanistan called for increased cooperation during a trip to Kabul by Tehran’s foreign minister on Sunday, the highest-level Iranian official to visit the Afghan capital since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Mutaqi, and Taliban government Prime Minister Hassan Akhund during a one-day visit to discuss relations between the neighbouring countries that spar over issues including migration and water resources.
The two sides covered economic cooperation, the situation of Afghan migrants in Iran, border issues and water rights, an Afghan foreign ministry statement said.
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.
Araghchi said the issues of water and migration demanded expanded cooperation and called for the full implementation of bilateral water treaties, according to an Afghan foreign ministry statement.
Muttaqi said the region was suffering from climate change-induced drought and that Taliban authorities were “trying to ensure that water reaches both sides” of the Iran-Afghanistan border.
Muttaqi and Akhund also called for the situation of Afghan migrants in Iran to be improved and for their “dignified” return to Afghanistan.
The visit aims to bolster relations between the two neighboring countries and address mutual interests, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei.
During the meeting, while welcoming the Iranian delegation, Muttaqi said, “We hope that this meeting will improve the level of our relations with you.”—AFP
