TEHRAN – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan insisted on the need for formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan during a meeting on the fringes of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Thursday afternoon.

"We should help formation a government in Afghanistan that includes all ethnic groups, and groups that arise from the will of the people of this country. The key to solving Afghanistan's problems is to form an inclusive government and prevent foreign interference in the country's affairs," Raisi said.

The meeting between the two senior officials took place as Raisi accepted a request by Prime Minister Khan to hold a joint meeting on the developments in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s leader also said a safe and secure Afghanistan will benefit all countries in the region and the world at large.

Khan warned if an inclusive government is not formed in Afghanistan, the problems in the country would exacerbate, and Pakistan and Iran would suffer more than any other country. The meeting took place at the residence of the Iranian president.

Iran and Pakistan share long borders with Afghanistan.  The two countries are home to millions of Afghan refugees for more than 40 years. The situation in Afghanistan is highly volatile as after 20 years the Taliban has regained power in the Central Asian country. The Taliban had vowed a comprehensive government; however, the interim government only includes Taliban members and it is suppressing dissent voices. 

"Iran and Pakistan must work closely and interact with each other for Afghanistan to successfully pass the stage of state-building and formation of an inclusive government," Imran Khan suggested.

Addressing the SCO summit on Friday, Prime Minister Khan also said, “We need a coordinated approach by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for stabilizing situation in Afghanistan.”

“20-year occupation brought nothing except destruction for Afghanistan”

At the meeting, President Raisi stressed that the U.S. presence in Afghanistan resulted in nothing but destruction and displacement of the Afghan people.

"The 20-year history of U.S. and Western forces in Afghanistan has had no benefit other than destruction, displacement and killing of more than 35,000 Afghan children and thousands of men and women," Raisi lamented.

During the meeting, Raisi also described the relationship between the two countries goes beyond neighborliness due to historical and cultural commonalities.
"We should not allow the sedition and mischief of foreigners to affect these good relations," the Iranian president emphasized.

He has said that there are intact and valuable capacities in Iran and Pakistan to expand relations, adding that the Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to promote regional relations and cooperation, especially with neighboring countries, and Pakistan has a special place in this regard.

Referring to the long border between the two countries and the capacity to expand border trade, the President said: "Restoring security in the border areas can activate the significant capacities for economic and trade exchanges and contribute to the prosperity of these areas."

Prime Minister Khan also praised the constructive position and brotherly attitude of Iran towards Pakistan.

"We are following a comprehensive expansion of relations with Iran, especially in transportation and believe improving the level of cooperation between the two countries will have positive regional and global effects," Khan remarked.