Foreign Ministry issues statement on Afghanistan situation

The Islamic Republic of Iran, as one of the first signatories of the United Nations Charter, while supporting constructive initiatives that can guarantee peace, stability, security, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, believes that stability and security in Afghanistan and the region require that the United Nations pay special attention to human issues, problems and conditions in fulfilling its duties and responsibilities, the foreign ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday morning.

Based on such an attitude, the Islamic Republic of Iran, like in the past long years, during the last two and a half years, tried to understand the difficult conditions of Afghanistan after the occupation and to reduce the sufferings of the people of this country in the transition phase, it added.

It named the continuation of hosting millions of refugees and asylum seekers, supporting trade and commerce, facilitating the movement of residents and nationals of Afghanistan, providing services in the field of health and treatment, and helping victims of natural disasters as instances of the constructive approach and humanitarian goals of the Islamic Republic in recent years toward the Afghan nation.

It should be stressed that this constructive approach was adopted and implemented while the honorable people of Iran were under the most severe and oppressive sanctions, the foreign ministry emphasized.

It continued that some countries and international authorities while ignoring the responsibilities of the occupying regime during the occupation of Afghanistan, paid less attention to taking the necessary steps in the post-occupation phase and other challenges facing the country including migration, terrorism, and illicit drugs.

The statement also included Iran's views on the situation in Afghanistan, considering the efforts of the Secretary General of the United Nations to pay more attention to the "Afghanistan issue" as an important agenda that has gained momentum in recent months, and in appreciation of the constructive role of the United Nations Secretariat.

It stressed that the necessity of solving the "Afghanistan problem" and the effort to accelerate the participation of this country in the global mechanism requires the strengthening of the scope of centralism in fulfilling international responsibilities in consultation with Afghanistan's neighbors.

Further, the study of Afghanistan's developments since independence confirms that failure in the upcoming test will have destructive effects on international peace and security. For this reason, it is necessary for the world community and international organizations to pay attention to this point; "Current Afghanistan cannot bear to accept a new failure," it added.

Stressing that Afghanistan's gateway to the world community is its regional environment and neighborhood, the ministry underlined that Iran's proposal to establish a regional contact group is a principled step and a reasonable process to bring results to any new initiative.

Another important need is to pay attention to the realities and chronic problems that are plaguing Afghanistan and the international community today, it said, adding that opening new cases without organizing the deep-rooted issues of the past, such as immigration, drugs, and terrorism, will not lead to solving the "Afghanistan problem". 

The Islamic Republic of Iran also believes that, in this direction, helping the formation and success of a certain government of righteous people belonging to various sections of the Afghan society, in such a way that helps Afghanistan overcome the problems of recent decades, is the most constructive step of this country in the direction of "engagement, convergence and constructive cooperation" with the countries of the region and the world.