TEHRAN- The Taliban, who now control Afghanistan, have stressed in a statement from their Defense Ministry that their government is dedicated to fostering stronger connections with Iran and collaboration in a variety of areas.

The Taliban Defense Ministry released the statement following a meeting between Iranian Deputy Chief of General Staff Bahram Hosseini Motlaq and his Afghan counterpart Haji Mali Khan in Kabul on Sunday.

The two sides stressed the necessity for conversation to resolve mutual concerns as they reviewed border issues and measures to improve bilateral cooperation, according to the statement.

For years, Iran and Afghanistan have been at odds over the sharing of water from the Helmand River.

The Afghan side has failed to deliver Iran’s share of water from the river, which has caused the issue to worsen recently.

On May 18, President Ebrahim Raisi issued a warning to the Taliban informing them not to disregard the water rights of those residing in Helmand River’s southeast region of Iran.

Raisi emphasized the Iranian government’s will to uphold the country’s rights under the 1973 water treaty with Afghanistan, which grants Iran the right to collect 820 million cubic meters of water from the Helmand River annually.