TEHRAN – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Monday that his country’s friendship with Iran is long lasting, noting that Kabul is committed to international treaty on water sharing with Iran.

“Afghanistan is committed to the internationally accepted Helmand-River Water Treaty with Iran,” IRNA quoted him as saying in a press conference.

During an opening speech at the International Conference on Combating Sand and Dust Storms in Tehran on July 3, President Rouhani said, “If Hamun’s water dries up, in addition to Sistan and Baluchistan, Afghanistan itself will be in danger.”

Rouhani said environmental issues are “extra-national and extra-regional challenges”.

“We cannot succeed in overcoming environmental challenges without cooperating with neighboring countries,” the president remarked.

Rouhani also said, “The only way to live peacefully in the West Asia and Middle East region is adopting a win-win policy in the area of environment, helping and standing beside each other.”

Hamid Aboutalebi, a political advisor to President Hassan Rouhani, has indirectly called on landlocked Afghanistan that its interests lie in interaction with Iran in sharing water on the basis of international law.

“Interaction among the neighboring countries is based on common interests; ignoring common interests and violating the international law on water is not beneficial for (landlocked) countries,” he tweeted on Saturday.

NA/PA