At the end of the one-day meeting, the participants issued a joint statement declaring their support for Afghanistan as an independent and united country, declaring support for the development process of the country, as well as expressing their desire to develop trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan
At the same time, the participants mostly form Afghanistan’s neighboring countries and regional states, expressed deep concerns over issues in the country including the security situation, terrorism, human rights, etc.
The joint statement also called on the ruling authorities of Kabul to take tangible and verifiable actions to fulfill the international obligations and commitments made by Afghanistan to fight terrorism, and to eliminate all terrorist groups in an equal manner and without discrimination and to prevent the use of Afghan territory for attacks and sabotage operations against its neighbors.
The representatives of the countries participating in the meeting in Moscow also called for the formation of a moderate and inclusive government in Afghanistan and asked the authorities to respect the most basic rights and interests of all the people of Afghanistan, especially women, girls and various ethnic groups living in the country.
A statement issued at the end of the meeting also stressed the need to take necessary and effective measures by Afghanistan’s ruling authorities to pave the way for the return of millions of Afghan refugees to their homeland.
Despite the harsh economic conditions and the heavy sanctions imposed on Afghanistan, as well as the small amount of international aid being delivered to the country for supporting the refugees, The Islamic Republic of Iran has generously and openly accepted millions of Afghan refugees for about a century by considering the principles of humanity and good neighborliness and has provided the refugees with a variety of services including free education, health, accommodation, etc.
Now that three years have passed since the end of Afghanistan occupation by the US and its Western allies ended and a caretaker government led by the Taliban took control of the country, Iran is urgently calling on authorities in Kabul to adopt effective measures and do their best to pave the way for the return of Afghan refugees to their homeland.
In the joint statement issued in the Moscow meeting, the participants appreciated Iran for hosting millions of Afghan refugees over the past decades. The statement also called on Kabul authorities to prevent further influxes of Afghan refugees arriving in other countries.
The international community, especially the countries of the region and Afghanistan's neighbors, have repeatedly emphasized the need for ruling authorities of Afghanistan to take measures such as respecting the rights of all citizens, especially the right to education and employment of women and girls, and to effectively and indiscriminately combat the remnants of terrorist elements and groups, to form a moderate and inclusive government with the participation of all groups, and to prevent the use of territory of Afghanistan against its neighboring countries and the region, as well as to take the necessary measures to facilitate the return of refugees.
The statement shows that the current ruling group in Afghanistan has failed to convince the international community to recognize it as an official government in the country despite taking some steps to develop and improve the security and economy of their country. In fact, Afghanistan’s ruling government is too far from being recognized as an official government.
That comes as Afghanistan’s rulers have repeatedly called for recognition by the international community, claiming that they have been able to improve the country's security and economy and have eliminated terrorism. However, the current situation and realities on the ground in Afghanistan indicate that there is a need for much more efforts by the authorities and agencies of the current ruling government to attract the attention of the international community and to show more goodwill in the process.
In the current situation, Afghanistan needs to create and strengthen the grounds for the return of millions of its citizens from other countries. Many Afghan refugees have received professional training in Iran where they have been working in different jobs and can play a crucial role in rebuilding Afghanistan and have a major contribution to the development process in their country.
There is no doubt that the economic, security, and social conditions of Afghanistan will improve faster if such a development process is strengthened in the country. For sure, it will also provide a golden opportunity for ruling authorities in Afghanistan to take longer and faster steps in the process to become recognized as a sovereign government.
* Mohammad Reza Manafi is a staff writer and journalist at the IRNA’s International News Department
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