Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister has said countries around the world and in the region have decided to increase their interaction with the Islamic Emirate (IEA).

Giving feedback after his meeting with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Amir Khan Muttaqi stated that the two sides agreed the level of diplomatic engagement between the two countries should be increased. He said he asked Iran’s foreign minister to officially accept credentials of the IEA’s ambassador to Tehran.

Muttaqi met with Araghchi, who was in Kabul on Sunday, for discussions on various topics that included political and economic developments as well as regional issues.

Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, Ali Reza Bekdali meanwhile said in an interview with Iranian media that Araghchi’s visit to Kabul does not signal Tehran’s move to officially recognize the IEA government but instead, it was recognition of a legal process based on international law.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei meanwhile said Monday that negotiations among neighboring states, including Iran and Afghanistan, are necessary to pave the ground for addressing shared concerns and interests.

In an interview with IRNA, Baghaei said that Araghchi is the first Iranian foreign minister to visit Kabul in eight years and that the visit was a significant breakthrough in the Iran-Afghanistan relationship.

He said such interactions are essential for finding solutions to shared challenges and concerns.

As to Iran’s concern about its water rights to the Helmand River, Baghaei said Afghanistan’s government has pledged to comply with its commitments under the Afghan-Iranian Helmand River-Water Treaty of 1973.

Baghaei told IRNA that officials in Kabul had also expressed hope that collaborative efforts would lead to solutions over the issue of illegal migrants in Iran.

The two parties also emphasized the need for enhancing cooperation in combating terrorism, in particular against Daesh, he said.

He also said that Iranian and Afghan officials held meaningful talks on advancing economic and trade exchanges and that the private sector delegation accompanying Araghchi played a vital role in identifying new opportunities for collaboration.