US Afghanistan occupation source of instability, terrorism threat: Deputy FM
The United Nations and international organizations must focus on promoting peace, security and welfare in Afghanistan, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani says.
Bagheri Kani made the remarks in a meeting in Tehran with Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva, the special representative of the UN secretary-general for Afghanistan, on Sunday.
He said the US presence in Afghanistan was the source of instability, insecurity, and exacerbated the threat of terrorism and cultivation of narcotics in the war-ravaged country.
International organizations in Afghanistan should give priority to securing the interests of the Afghan people, improving their living conditions and welfare and guaranteeing the country’s security, he added.
The Iranian diplomat emphasized that Western countries, particularly the US, must make up for the damage they inflicted on the Afghan people and the entire region in more than two decades.
The United Nations shoulders the responsibility to play a constructive role in establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan, Bagheri Kani said.
He also highlighted the importance of making all the necessary preparations for the repatriation of educated and skillful Afghan nationals living in other countries, including Iran, and using their capacities for the development of the country.
Otunbayeva, for her part, pointed to the complexity of issues in Afghanistan and the multiplicity of actors, stressing the need to coordinate the positions of regional and extra-regional countries to help promote the country’s development and stability.
She called for Iran’s help to strengthen constructive cooperation among regional and extra-regional countries and interact with Kabul's de-facto government.
The United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001 under the banner of “war on terror.”
The invasion that toppled the Taliban was followed by the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Afghan civilians and the displacement of millions of others.
The Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021 after making sweeping advances across the country, which was triggered by the messy withdrawal of US-led foreign forces as well as the rapid collapse of the country’s security forces.
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