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Iran’s Qomi to attend Doha meeting, slams ‘unilateral’ approaches by ‘big powers’
Hassan Kazemi Qomi, the special envoy of the Iranian president for Afghanistan affairs, has confirmed he will attend Monday’s meeting on Afghanistan set to be held in Doha and hosted by the United Nations’ secretary general.
In an interview with the Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) he said Iran’s stance at the meeting will be based on a “deep understanding of the realities and requirements” of the Afghanistan government and its people.
He said: “We strongly and openly criticize the unilateral approaches adopted by big powers and international organizations.”
Referring to similarities between Iran and Afghanistan’s people, Qomi said that Iran opposes the sanctions leveled against Afghanistan and urged the UN to take into account the humanitarian situation in the country.
“In our opinion, the view of humanitarian issues by the United Nations should not be gendered[-based],” he said, adding: “We are extremely frightened that this path will cause the Security Council to impose more sanctions this autumn and winter with different reasons based on Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter.”
“As you will see, our stance in Doha will be based on facts and principles that are not necessarily favored by the big powers,” Qomi said, adding, “… we believe that every government should independently defend the legitimate rights of its nation based on reasonable arguments and in a responsible way in accordance with international laws and rules. This policy could have been seen by the international community during our nuclear talks when we defended our nuclear rights under the NPT. Obviously, we hope that Afghanistan will succeed in the path of legitimate defense with an independent position and playing a responsible role. That way, we will be a supporter and consultant to them [Afghans].”
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to host a two-day meeting Monday and Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, which will bring together a number of special envoys on Afghanistan.
Pakistan, Iran, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have expressed with Afghanistan after flash floods killed more than 300 people and destroyed hundreds of homes in northern Baghlan province.
“The Government and the people of Pakistan express their heartfelt condolences on the tragic loss of life and widespread damage to property caused by heavy rains and flash floods in several provinces of Afghanistan,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement. “Pakistan stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan during this difficult time.”
Qatar’s foreign ministry said: “The State of Qatar expresses its full solidarity with Afghanistan in face of the destruction caused by massive floods hitting the Baghlan province north of the country, which resulted in deaths and injuries.”
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses the State of Qatar’s firm support to Afghanistan and its brotherly people, and voiced its complete readiness to cooperate with the relevant authorities in Afghanistan to provide all means to help overcome crises,” it added.
UAE’s Foreign Ministry also expressed “its sincere condolences and sympathy with the friendly people of Afghanistan, and to the families of the victims, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for all the injured.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expresses his solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.
“The United Nations and its partners in Afghanistan are coordinating with the de facto authorities to swiftly assess needs and provide emergency assistance,” he said.
The Japanese ambassador in Kabul, Takayoshi Kuromiya, met Saturday with Sader Azam Osmani, the Deputy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock, the meeting discussed Japan’s cooperation in these areas.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations (MoRR) held Saturday an emergency meeting in Kabul attended by the humanitarian aid coordinator of the International Organization for Migration to instantly address the needs of recent flood victims in Baghlan province.
The ministry quoted Abdul Rahman Rahmani, head of the assistance coordination of the ministry, as saying that the goal of the meeting was to provide emergency assistance to flood victims and how to consider first aid.
According to reports, intense floods in Baghlan’s many districts have left hundreds of dead and injured.
The ministry stated that hundreds of houses have been destroyed and people are living in open space in the mountains.
Meanwhile, the ministry added that the figures are not yet final and the process of rescue operations is still ongoing with the cooperation of health teams.
At the meeting, Mohammad Omar Hashemi, the humanitarian aid coordinator of the International Organization for Migration, also assured that the organization is ready to provide urgent aid to the victims.
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