Special envoy: Iran seeks inclusive govt., supports establishment of security, stability in Afghanistan

Iran’s special envoy to Afghanistan says the Islamic Republic seeks the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan and supports sustainable security and stability in the crisis-stricken country.

Hassan Kazemi-Qomi made the remarks in a meeting with Mohammad Mohaqqiq, a member of the Supreme Council of National Resistance of Afghanistan, on Sunday.

“Tehran supports sustainable stability and security in Afghanistan and calls for a peaceful solution to the Afghan issue through negotiations among all political parties and ethnic groups in Afghanistan,” he remarked.

Kazemi-Qomi added that Iran has friendly relations with all political groups in Afghanistan, saying that Tehran “is interested in mediating among all parties in Afghanistan, so that peace and stability as well as an all-inclusive government representing all political groups would be realized in the country.”

Kazemi-Qomi stressed that a secure and stable Afghanistan would be to the benefit of the region and the world.

The US military led the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, in what it proselytized as a war on terror meant to eradicate the Taliban.

The Taliban, however, took control of the country’s government in mid-August this year, in the midst of the United States’ hasty, reckless withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan.

Since the takeover, Iran has consistently called for the formation of an inclusive government representing all ethnicities in its eastern neighboring country.

For his part, Mohaqqiq said the council does not favor violence and war and is ready to hold constructive talks to resolve Afghanistan’s issues if the ground for such intra-Afghan negotiations is prepared.

The Taliban official thanked the Iranian government for playing a positive role with regard to Afghanistan, including its hosting of millions of Afghan refugees, saying, “We are aware of the important role that the Islamic Republic of Iran plays in regional developments.”

Mohaqqiq, who leads the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, also called on Iran to resolve the Afghan refugees’ problems for humanitarian and Islamic reasons, expressing gratitude for Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi’s remarks on the necessity of addressing the refugees’ issues.

Earlier this month, President Raeisi said Iran deems helping Afghan refugees “a humanitarian and Islamic duty.”

“We support Afghan refugees, whether they want to stay in Iran or cross Iran,” Raeisi said on December 16.

Around 300,000 Afghan migrants have entered Iran following the collapse of the Kabul government and the Taliban’s takeover, while the Iranian nation is enduring the “toughest ever” sanctions illegally imposed by the United States.

Tehran has also called for a boost to international humanitarian efforts for Afghanistan, saying the “very small” volume of international aid for Afghan refugees does not help much.

Last month, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) Secretary General Jan Egeland said Iran “cannot be expected to host so many Afghans with so little support from the international community.”

In his remarks, Raeisi also criticized Western countries for paying lip service to the issue of Afghan refugees, saying they have not helped at all.

“The result of two decades of the NATO and US presence in Afghanistan is the murder of the helpless Afghan people and crimes and bloodshed against them,” he added.