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Afghanistan, Iran form joint working group over water rights
Iranian media reported that for the first time a joint working group of environmental officials of Afghanistan and Iran was formed to follow up on the issue of water rights from the Helmand River.
According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, for several years now, water has not reached Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan from the Helmand River in Afghanistan, and it has caused problems for the livelihood of the people of the region.
According to the water treaty between the two countries, Iran is entitled to 820 million cubic meters of water from the river annually, but Iranian officials have said it only received 27 million cubic meters in the past year.
After the Iranian officials claimed that the Islamic Emirate was not committed to ensuring water rights, Kabul allowed a delegation from Iran to closely evaluate the water level in the Helmand River.
A technical delegation of Iran visited the Deh Rawood hydrometric station and found the level of water to be lower than normal due to drought.
During his recent trip to Iran, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs, said that the recent droughts have had a bad effect on water resources in the region, especially in Afghanistan. He said surface and underground water levels have decreased significantly.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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