Intra-Afghan talks only lasting way to maintain peace in Afghanistan: Iran

The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said intra-Afghan talks are the only sustainable approach to maintain peace in the war-ravaged country.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran believes that stability would be ensured in Afghanistan if all groups can play a role in the country, Press TV reported.

Pointing to the current visit by a high-ranking Taliban delegation to Tehran, he said it aims to hold talks with Iranian officials on ways to promote sustainable peace in Afghanistan.

“We have made huge investment for Afghanistan’s peace and hosted millions of Afghans over the past decades,” the Iranian spokesperson said.

He expressed hope that stability and peace would be established in Afghanistan and that the country’s people would have coexistence regardless of religious and ethnic issues.

Khatibzadeh further emphasized that Iran’s stance on Afghanistan has never been dependent on the US position, saying Tehran has always pursued an independent policy on Afghan developments.

“The US has no option but to end years of interference and aggression in Afghanistan and through its responsible withdrawal, reduce the sufferings it has inflicted on regional nations,” he added.

A high-ranking Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group’s top political leader, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday Iran at the invitation of the Iranian Foreign Ministry for talks on the Afghan peace process and relevant topics.

Iran strongly supports the realization of peace and stability in neighboring Afghanistan, which has been embroiled in decades of militancy fueled by foreign military intervention.

Accordingly, the Islamic Republic has been closely following the peace negotiations underway since last September between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha, where the Taliban run a political bureau.

Given the religious, cultural, linguistic and historical commonalities of the two neighbors, Iran believes the stability, socio-cultural development and economic growth of both nations are intertwined, repeatedly expressing its willingness to help the Afghan government in that regard.

The intra-Afghan talks started after the United States agreed to withdraw12,000 US troops from Afghanistan in exchange for the Taliban’s halting of their attacks on international forces under a deal between the two sides in February 2020.

The deal was intended to result in the reduction of bloodshed, but violence continues to take a heavy toll in the country.

In recent months, deadly attacks and high-profile assassinations have seen a rise in Afghanistan. The Taliban have denied responsibility for the killings, but Afghan and US officials have pinned the blame on the group.

Source: Iran Daily