Why is Afghanistan concerned about Iran’s talks with Taliban?

An expert of Afghan affairs believes: “Prior to Iran’s talks with the Taliban, the government of Afghanistan had embarked on Afghan-to-Afghan talks with the Taliban. However, Kabul’s harsh position against Tehran has been taken from an angle of inactiveness on their part as a reaction to Iran’s initiative.”

Afghanistan’s deputy foreign minister made the remarks while commenting on the latest statements by the Iranian foreign minister on Taliban’s role in the future of Afghanistan, accusing Iran of clear interference in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, saying: “In our establishment, the proposal of merging armed groups is against Afghanistan’s diplomacy.” Moreover, the spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has claimed earlier that Iran is afraid of a democratic Afghanistan which enjoys freedom of speech and civil rights, while the Iranian authorities have stressed that Iran’s negotiations with the Taliban have taken place with the knowledge of Afghanistan’s government in line with preparations for Afghan peace talks.

Professor Nozar Shafiei said: “It’s good to know why Iran is sensitive about the developments in Afghanistan and sometimes gets drawn into them. The reason is the direct impact of events in Afghanistan on Iran’s national security.”

He added: “Afghanistan’s government is a failed state unable to provide security within its own borders; this insecurity and instability will also spread to Iran. Therefore, not only Iran, but also other countries will inevitably interact with Afghanistan’s domestic groups in order to prevent the expansion of such crisis into their own territories.”

Shafiei, a former Iranian MP, added: “However, the participation of Taliban in the power structure of Afghanistan will completely depend on the government of Afghanistan. While the Taliban phenomenon is a reality in Afghanistan, excluding this group from the political scene of Afghanistan is not a promising perspective. Consequently, it is likely that they will eventually be part of the internal politics of Afghanistan. However, if this does not happen, we will witness continued insecurity in Afghanistan together with consistent threats against Iran’s national security.”

Source: Persia Digest