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FM Muttaqi and Iran’s envoy discuss political, economic issues
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister of the Islamic Emirate, and Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s ambassador and special representative for Afghanistan, met on Sunday to discuss issues of interest including the need for good relations, the foreign ministry said.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad, the Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday the two sides discussed political and economic issues between the two countries, emphasizing good neighborliness and mutual interests.
During the meeting Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s new ambassador in Kabul, said that considering the importance of water, efforts should be made to manage water in such a way that it is not wasted and Iran’s right to it is maintained.
Muttaqi also said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to respecting Iran’s water rights according to the 1351 treaty between the two countries.
Muttaqi has stated that with little rain over the past few months, there is a water shortage in the country, which is a real problem.
The issue of water has long been a problem for Iran, primarily around water from the Helmand River, which originates near Kabul and flows south-west for about 1,100 kilometers before emptying into Lake Hamun, located on the Afghan-Iranian border.
Afghan authorities have however constructed the Kamal Khal Dam along this river – which Iran has always opposed.
According to Iranian experts, Lake Hamun and dozens of wetlands fed by the Helmand River waters may dry up due to water intake at the Kamal Khan Dam.
In 1973, the two countries signed the Water Treaty of Helmand River protocol, which Iran regards as a basis for compliance by the other side. Based on the agreement, Afghanistan is committed to delivering an average of 820 million cubic meters of water per annum to Iran. This water runs into the Hamun marshland along the length of its common border.
Iran has accused Afghanistan of violating its water rights, claiming that it gets less water than the amount agreed upon in the 1973 treaty. The former Afghan government rejected the accusation.
Iran’s annual rainfall is about 240 mm, which is significantly lower than the global average of 990 mm. Water shortages are particularly critical in the east of the country which has an average precipitation of about 115 mm per year. Therefore, Iran needs secure access to border rivers, especially those in the east, as the country’s water consumption grows.
Three road construction projects worth about one billion Afghanis started in capital Kabul on Saturday.
The projects were inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
The projects are: the second phase of Kotal Khairkhane road, the first part of the Shahid square to Qasaba, and the Airport road to Gumruk.
In the inauguration ceremony, Mullah Baradar said that Kabul municipality is working hard to beautify and regulate the city, and people should cooperate with the government in protecting public benefit projects.
He directed the officials of Kabul municipality to complete the mentioned projects on time and with good quality.
The second phase of Kotel Khairkhaneh road is 2.5 kilometers long and 60 meters wide. Thie road will cost 364 million Afghanis and will be completed in 20 months.
The Shahid square-Qasaba road is 1.8 kilometers long and 45 meters wide, which will be built at a cost of 175 million Afghanis in one year.
The Airport-Gumruk road is 2.7 km long and 60 meters wide, which will be completed at a cost of 407 million Afghanis in 20 months.
The projects are funded by Kabul Municipality.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on Friday that the main threat for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members emanates from Afghanistan where international terrorist groups find shelter due to unstable and indefinite political situation.
Speaking at a meeting of the SCO defense ministers in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Shoygu said Washington has stepped up efforts to restore its positions in Central and South Asia that were lost after the withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan, Anadolu Agency reported.
The military chief called “unacceptable” the deployment of the American military infrastructure in the region, arguing that intentions should be regarded as “a direct threat to stability in the SCO space.”
According to him, the US is trying to impose a new security system in the Asia-Pacific region for dominance.
This comes as the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly emphasized that it does not allow anyone to pose threats to any other country from Afghanistan soil.
Recently, Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid said that no destructive groups including Daesh have physical presence in Afghanistan,
In a statement on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the victory of the Mujahideen against the then communist government, the Islamic Emirate said that it is a day of freedom of the Afghan nation.
The Islamic Emirate described the coup by People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan on 27th April 1978 as a dark day in history, as a result of which the people of Afghanistan suffered severe human and financial losses.
The statement said that the Afghan nation suffered huge casualties in their 14-year struggle against the thoughts and actions of the communists, as 1.5 million people died and millions more faced various hardships.
“After 20 years of Jihad, our country was freed from another occupation and the Islamic system was established, so the Islamic Emirate will make its utmost efforts so that the fruits of decades of sacrifice and struggle of this nation are not wasted,” the statement said.
“It was the wish of the martyrs to fully implement the Islamic system in the country, and therefore, the Islamic Emirate is trying to facilitate development and prosperity under the shadow of the Islamic system in order to realize the goals of the Afghan people’s jihads,” it added.
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