Regional stability lies in collective action in security sphere: diplomat

February 14, 2024 - 22:39

TEHRAN- Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, has noted that security and stability in the region is premised on carrying out the collective action in the domain of security.

During an interview with the private Shamshad TV at the Iranian Embassy in Kabul, he added that “we have good cooperation in the security domain with both Pakistan and Afghanistan.”

Qomi also underscored the need for vigilance of regional countries against anti-security and destabilizing schemes of enemies.

Given the recent border incidents in the region, he stated, “Security is not fun for any country or establishment, and it is the undeniable right of any system to defend its land, people, and national security.”

The Special Envoy for Afghanistan went on to add that “from an international law perspective, the goal of securing any point of a land and its people falls under legitimate defense, and it is the right of that system to confront any threats against it, so what happened in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and Pakistan was within the framework of self-defense and in accordance with international law.”

“It is possible that a region may not be under the control of a central government, and then what happened was essentially a response against a threatening point,” Kazemi Qomi continued.

He also underlined that “foes have gone to great lengths to foment challenges for the region and its countries, namely Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, so our interests lie in serious cooperation.”

“Today we have no doubt that Americans are seeking to exploit the lands of neighboring countries for terrorist and anti-security activities and intelligence schemes. Therefore, the necessity of security cooperation among neighboring countries including Tehran, Islamabad, and Kabul is inevitable.”

Qomi averred that “today, security cooperation is one of the goals that we pursue in the regional contact group on Afghanistan, so one of the consequences of forming regional contacts is not only economic and trade development with Afghanistan but also how we can shape security cooperation between neighboring countries and Afghanistan; we are following this path.”

The Iranian diplomat highlighted that “recent events at the shared borders with Pakistan were not unexpected. Regional stability and security lie in a collective movement towards security, this is a desire and necessity for all regional countries, and we must defeat the desires of enemies who seek to create conflicts between countries, insecurity, and instability in the region.”

He warned, “The military invasion by America faced defeat, but their mischief has not ended. Today, the aim of America’s proxy forces, meaning Daesh terrorists, is to disrupt security in the region.”

Last year, Kazemi Qomi held talks with senior Pakistani officials during an official visit to Islamabad on regional developments, bilateral cooperation, and the situation in Afghanistan.

Earlier, during an interview with Iranian TV, he described Afghanistan as a component of the Resistance Axis. 

“There is tremendous potential in these countries, notably Afghanistan, where individuals are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of Al-Quds. They possess martyrdom and Jihadist forces,” he remarked. 

Back in January, he expressed the Islamic Republic’s willingness to deepen ties with the neighboring nation.

During a meeting with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban government, Kazemi Qomi stated that Iran is prepared to strengthen its cooperation with Kabul and support the Afghan people.

In another meeting between Kazemi Qomi and the deputy prime minister of the Taliban for political affairs, Mohammed Abdul Kabir, the Taliban political leader referred to the terrorist Daesh group as the common enemy of Iran and Afghanistan.

Last month in a meeting with an Iranian media delegation in Kabul, Muttaqi characterized relations between Kabul and Tehran as progressing.

In a meeting with Muttaqi in Tehran, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister of Iran, said that Afghanistan has to take practical steps to address the current issues, such as water sharing and border security, between the two nations.

He pointed out that Tehran and Kabul have established significant ties in a number of areas and expressed hope that the acting Taliban government in Afghanistan would work with Tehran to find practical solutions to some of its current issues.

The senior Iranian diplomat also pointed to a recent meeting in Tehran in favor of Palestine and praised the Afghan delegation, led by Muttaqi, for its active involvement in the gathering.

He also discussed developments in the besieged Gaza Strip and encouraged all Muslim and freedom-seeking countries to assist the Palestinian people in the face of the genocidal atrocities committed by the occupying Israeli regime.