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31-03-2021
By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report
TEHRAN/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: The foreign minister of Iran called on the United Nations to facilitate the intra-Afghan negotiations, which he described as a requisite for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
In an address to the 9th annual ministerial meeting of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul initiative in Tajikistan on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif invited the UN to help facilitate the intra-Afghan negotiations.
He also emphasized that any peace agreement in Afghanistan should guarantee the right of self-determination for the Afghan people.
Zarif also highlighted Iran’s efforts to ensure regional convergence and help Afghanistan take a role in regional developments, and maintained that peace and stability in Afghanistan would be possible only on the basis of intra-Afghan negotiations.
Highlighting the Afghan people’s valuable achievements in creating the rule of law and adopting a constitution, Zarif said it is necessary for the regional states to facilitate the intra-Afghan peace talks.
The Iranian foreign minister further slammed the unconstructive solutions for Afghanistan imposed by outside and extra-regional actors with political purposes.
He also pointed to the recent inauguration of a railroad linking Iran to Afghanistan, hailing it as a major step in the formation of a regional and international railroad network.
Zarif also highlighted Iran’s help for Afghanistan in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, calling on all countries to join hands in the battle against the pandemic.
The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process is a regional initiative developed by Afghanistan and Turkey, which was launched in November 2011 in Istanbul.
The process aims to promote regional security, economic and political cooperation centered on Afghanistan through dialogue and confidence building measures.
