Iran’s foreign ministry expresses ideas on solving ‘Afghanistan problem’

Iran’s ministry of foreign affairs on Wednesday expressed its views on how to help Afghanistan overcome its challenges but still maintained the need for an inclusive government in the country.

According to a statement, Tehran believes stability and security in Afghanistan and the region require close attention be paid by the United Nations to humanitarian issues and other problems.

Iran says it has, in the past two and a half years, “tried to understand the difficult conditions of Afghanistan after the occupation and to reduce the sufferings of the people of this country in the transition phase”.

The ministry stated that instances of Iran’s assistance to Afghanistan include them hosting millions of refugees and asylum seekers; supporting trade and commerce; facilitating the movement of residents and nationals of Afghanistan; providing services in the field of health and medical treatment; and helping victims of natural disasters.

“It should be stressed that this constructive approach was adopted and implemented while the honorable people of Iran were under the most severe and oppressive sanctions,” the foreign ministry emphasized.

The ministry said certain countries and organizations have not taken necessary steps since August 2021 to assist with challenges including migration, terrorism and drugs.

In addition to this, Tehran stressed the need to solve the “Afghanistan problem” and allow Afghanistan to become part of the “global mechanism”.

Stressing that Afghanistan’s gateway to the global community is its regional environment and neighborhood, the ministry underlined that Iran’s proposal to establish a regional contact group is a principled step and a reasonable process to bring results to any new initiative.

“Another important need is to pay attention to the realities and chronic problems that are plaguing Afghanistan and the international community today,” the statement read, adding that opening new cases without organizing the deep-rooted issues of the past, such as immigration, drugs, and terrorism, will not lead to solving the “Afghanistan problem”.

Iran said however that it maintains the need for an inclusive government in Afghanistan, which would be a constructive step in the direction of “engagement, convergence and constructive cooperation” with the countries of the region and the world.