Iran hits back at Khalilzad, reaffirms its support for intra-Afghan talks
Iran has dismissed remarks by US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, and said Tehran has long pursued a policy of maintaining balanced and friendly relations with all the powers of Eurasia and East and South Asia.
Mohammad-Ebrahim Taheri, the special representative of the Iranian foreign minister for Afghan affairs, said in a statement on Sunday: “The Islamic Republic of Iran supports peace and stability in Afghanistan and stresses the need to establish peace based on the outcome of intra-Afghan talks owned and led by the Afghans.”
“We recommend US officials first carefully review the stances [of Iranian authorities] before expressing their opinions about the viewpoints of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s officials about regional and Afghan issues,” he said.
This comes in response to Khalilzad’s comments Friday, during a video forum by the US Institute of Peace in Washington, that Iran has not been that supportive in the peace initiative.
Khalilzad said: “Iran has not been as supportive as it should have been in the effort to get to intra-Afghan negotiations and to an Afghan settlement.”
He told his fellow panel members: “The deputy foreign minister of Iran said in Kabul a few days ago that he doesn’t like the peace process and he doesn’t like the US military presence in Afghanistan which means that a formula they prefer is that the US abandons Afghanistan without a peace process which means war.”
This was in relation to Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi’s recent visit to Kabul. Araghchi said that the US’s intentions in the Afghan peace process are doubtful.
He also stated that the peace process in Afghanistan should be addressed through dialogue between Afghans, but that there are various factors that discourage Iran from the US peace plan with the Taliban.
“We believe that the US should not be trusted and that the US presence in the region is dangerous and will cause a lot of discord in the region,” he said.
He said the US entered into a deal with the Taliban and legitimized the group and held talks with them in the absence of the Afghan government.
The Tehran Times meanwhile stated on Sunday that Iran has opposed the US military occupation of Afghanistan and has expressed readiness to cooperate with any effort for intra-Afghan dialogue.
Alireza Bikdeli, Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, met on Tuesday with officials of the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines to discuss expanding economic relations, joint investment, and strengthening cooperation in the industrial and mining sectors.
During the meeting, Khan Mohammad Khan, deputy for industry at the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines, highlighted the existing opportunities in Afghanistan’s industrial and mining sectors and called on Iranian investors to make practical investments in these areas.
He said that with suitable opportunities available for industrial growth and the processing of raw minerals in Afghanistan, greater prospects exist for economic cooperation and joint investment with regional countries, particularly Iran.
Meanwhile, Bikdeli said that Iranian investors are showing growing interest in operating in various economic and production sectors in Afghanistan. He also emphasized Iran’s willingness to expand economic relations and bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
At the end of the meeting, he invited officials of the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines to participate in a mining exhibition scheduled to be held in Iran.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Information and Culture says BBC radio broadcasts across the country have been suspended due to what it described as “repeated violations.”
Safiullah Raed, head of media monitoring at the ministry, confirmed the suspension, without providing further details.
The BBC has also confirmed that its radio broadcasts have been suspended across Afghanistan. A spokesperson for the broadcaster said it was in contact with officials of the Islamic Emirate to resolve the issue.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, has called for Afghanistan to have fair access to international financial and technical assistance to combat climate change and reduce losses caused by natural disasters.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, Baradar said Afghanistan continues to suffer from the effects of climate change despite having no significant role in greenhouse gas emissions or global climate degradation.
He added that Afghanistan suffered severe social and economic losses last year due to earthquakes, seasonal floods and droughts. These disasters caused casualties and extensive financial losses, as well as damage to public infrastructure.
Emphasizing the need for climate justice, Baradar said: “It is inconsistent with the principles of global climate justice that we have no role in creating the problem, yet must bear its severe consequences and pay the price for the destruction caused by others.”
He urged the international community, the United Nations and climate-related organizations not to allow political considerations to interfere with efforts to combat climate change.
Baradar said climate change affects everyone and that protecting the global climate is a shared responsibility of all countries, without exception.
He stressed that fair access to international financial and technical assistance to reduce losses caused by natural disasters and climate change is Afghanistan’s right.
The Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs also called on the international community to provide practical assistance by supplying modern meteorological equipment, early warning systems, advanced rescue equipment and support to strengthen Afghanistan’s technical capacity.
He further said the Islamic Emirate had made significant efforts to construct buildings that meet standards for resilience against natural disasters, build standard retaining walls to control water flows, and protect and restore forests. He added that these efforts would continue.
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