Iran President says insecurity will return to Afghanistan if inclusive govt not formed

During a meeting with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that his neighbors should help form an inclusive government in Afghanistan, otherwise the country will become insecure.

Raisi who was on a visit to Qatar, said at a joint press conference with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani that in the absence of such a government, unrest in Afghanistan would continue.

“Afghanistan’s neighbors and countries in the region must help the people and all ethnic and political groups of Afghanistan to establish an all-inclusive popular government in Afghanistan, otherwise insecurity will return to this oppressed country,” Raisi said.

The Iranian president also said he had talked with the Emir of Qatar about regional issues, the fight against terrorism, and narcotics.

“We also exchanged views on regional issues such as the fight against terrorism, the situation in Afghanistan, drug trafficking, and agreed that the fight against terrorism and its various forms is one of our priorities. Iran’s capabilities in the successful fight against terrorism in Syria and Iraq are security-building not only for the region but also for the world,” Raisi said.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said recently that a single-ethnic government would not solve the current problems of the Afghan people.

Meanwhile, Russia, a country heavily embroiled in tensions with the West over the Ukraine crisis, favors the formation of a participatory government in which all prominent Afghan political actors are involved.

“There is no talk of Russia recognizing the new government. Moscow is in favor of participatory leadership in Afghanistan with the participation of all major political groups, and it supports such a government,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov.

The Islamic Emirate considers the caretaker government to be inclusive and has repeatedly emphasized that it has representatives of other ethnic groups and strata of Afghanistan and has also promised to reform the structure of the caretaker cabinet.