Iran’s UN envoy warns of increasing terrorism in Afghanistan

The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations has warned that the recent increase in armed attacks, acts of violence and terror in Afghanistan should be a matter of deep concern for all regional countries.

“Insecurity, instability and poverty provide the most fertile grounds for the rapid growth and reemergence of violent extremist groups and … even now footholds for ISIL in Afghanistan,” Gholam Ali Khoshrou said on Monday in an address to the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Afghanistan.

“We condemn all violent attacks committed by these terrorist groups as well as any cooperation with them, since we believe this will embolden them in their behavior and will be counterproductive to establishing peace in Afghanistan,” he added.

The Iranian envoy urged the international community to remain fully committed to its undertakings and respect the Afghan sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity.

He added that Tehran, considering its deep cultural and historical ties with Kabul, has always supported peace, stability, security and socio-economic development in Afghanistan.

“To us, security in Afghanistan is tantamount to security in our borders and in the region,” the Iranian ambassador said.

Iran-Afghanistan relations

Khoshrou further expressed Iran’s readiness to improve cooperation with Afghanistan, particularly on security matters, counter-narcotics efforts, developing projects and durable solution for Afghan refugees.

He added that the two countries have the potential to expand economic cooperation in the fields of infrastructures and agriculture as well as trade and transit.

The Iranian diplomat expressed concern over reports indicating that the opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has been almost doubled since 2012.

“It is a real threat to the region and beyond and should be addressed by the international community,” he said.

Battle against narcotics

Iran’s UN ambassador further stressed that Afghan authorities and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) should deter the menace of drug cultivation and trafficking.

“This is not only a major public health challenge, but also, and more importantly, a main source of income for extremist and terrorist groups,” Khoshrou added.

He urged the international community to support the “useful” initiative on cooperation among Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan on ways to counter narcotics, saying it would be beneficial to Afghanistan and transit and destination countries.