FMs of countries bordering Afghanistan hold virtual summit

September 8, 2021 - 21:28

TEHRAN - Foreign ministers of countries neighboring Afghanistan held a virtual conference on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments in the war-torn country.

The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Iran, Pakistan, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. It took place one day after the Taliban announced an interim cabinet.

The Taliban captured the capital Kabul on August 15 and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

In an interview with IRIB, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the main agenda of the meeting was how to contribute to the fulfillment of the will of all Afghans and the achievement of peace in the country.

Khatibzadeh also said Abdollahian told the virtual summit “that we should use all the potentials and capacities of all Afghanistan’s leaders and people, and that neighboring countries should also help materialize peace in Afghanistan.”

Abdollahian also said military intervention and foreign interference is “a repetition of errors that have happened several times in the current history of Afghanistan,” Khatibzadeh added. 

“Mr. Amir Abdollahian insisted in the session that all must abide by dialogue as a chief principle, and neighboring countries should also help prevent foreign intervention in the country,” Khatibzadeh announced.

He added the participants had “serious concern about terrorism in Afghanistan.”

“It was insisted that the Taliban must distance itself from this issue (terrorism) and don’t allow terrorism to take roots again in the country so that borders and border crossings remain safe and open” for sending aid and commercial purposes.

According to the spokesman, Iran also insisted on the need for an inclusive government in which all religious and ethnic groups are represented and international law is respected.

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