Bagheri Kani made the remarks on Saturday in a message to the second meeting of the Regional Contact Group for Afghanistan. The meeting, taking place in the Iranian capital Tehran, also brings representatives from China, Russia and Pakistan.
“Three years have passed since the occupying forces have withdrawn from Afghanistan, and our neighboring country has faced various challenges since then. The acting government in Afghanistan has had achievements on some of those challenges, but problems have persisted in other cases”, the Iranian official said in his message, blaming the US occupation for the persisting problems.
“If we honestly look at the scene in Afghanistan, we can say that the root cause of most of problems and challenges of this country is its occupation and the occupiers’ negligence of economic growth there”, Bagheri Kani said.
“Today, although the occupiers have left Afghanistan's soil, they are practically creating blocks in the country’s path of progress through freezing the assets of the Afghan people”, the Iranian official said, adding that the occupiers ruined Afghanistan’s economic infrastructures while they were present there and left behind a devastated country for its people after their pullout.
However, he noted, the occupiers should realize that they cannot shirk their humane responsibilities and they must play their part to compensate for the economic underdevelopment of Afghanistan by refraining from political interference in the country’s affairs.
Further in his message, the Iranian diplomat said that regional meetings, which have been held within various formats on Afghanistan in the past several years, are the best mechanisms that can help the country shape its future path and resolve the existing problems.
He reiterated that Iran supports any constructive initiative that helps promote peace, stability and development in Afghanistan, while warning against extra-regional attempts to influence developments there, which the Iranian official said are in violation of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.
Bagheri Kani also called on the United Nations to put extra efforts on improving humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan to help promote regional stability and security, arguing that regional countries are the ones that suffer the most from backwardness in Afghanistan.
Inside Afghanistan, the diplomat said, the ruling Taliban should do more efforts to ensure that an inclusive government made up of all ethnic groups is formed in order to help achieve political stability and economic development in the country.
4194**9417
Your Comment