Speaking at the virtual Raisina Dialogue in presence of Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib, Zarif said that the US exist from Afghanistan is "a positive move" but the Taliban should not use this opportunity to increase violence.
He added that Iran welcomes the "responsible withdrawal" of the US forces from Afghanistan and believes that the presence of foreign forces has never been beneficial to the security of the region and Afghanistan.
He noted that the Taliban should use this opportunity to instantly begin serious talks with the Afghan government, adding that the Taliban can not wait for the vacuum to arise because they want to take advantage of this vacuum and bring Afghanistan into civil war.
The Taliban can be part of the negotiating process, but they can not control it, he added.
He further noted that they know that the Taliban plans to re-establish the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, but this plan is not feasible and there is no general agreement on it, adding that the Taliban should know that Afghanistan can not be pulled back to the 1990s.
Iran and the region would not allow Afghanistan to return to war, the Iranian foreign minister stressed, and called for what he referred to as the "democratic forces" in Kabul to take a "unified position in the negotiations" so that the negotiations would be concluded, he underscored.
The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. Every year, global leaders in policy, business, media, and civil society are hosted in New Delhi to discuss cooperation on a wide range of pertinent international policy matters.
The Dialogue is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sector discussion, involving heads of state, cabinet ministers, and local government officials, as well as major private sector executives, members of the media, and academics.
The conference is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in collaboration with the Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs.
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