Araghchi calls Iran-Afghanistan security, stability interconnected
Taliban vows to even ‘share single drop of water with Iranian brothers’
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said security and stability in Iran and Afghanistan are interconnected after he met with Taliban officials during a visit to Kabul.
Heading a high-ranking delegation on Sunday, Araghchi arrived in the Afghan capital on Sunday for a one-day visit to discuss various issues, including Afghan migrants and Iran’s water right. He is the highest-level Iranian official to visit Kabul since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
During a meeting with Taliban government Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund, Araghchi referred to Iran’s historical, religious, and economic relations with Afghanistan and said that Iran is glad to see the establishment of security across Afghanistan after four decades.
Iran’s top diplomat also said the exchange of high-level diplomats between the two countries indicate the strong relations between Tehran and Kabul.
Many countries closed their embassies in Kabul or downgraded diplomatic relations after the Taliban takeover that ousted the US-backed government, but Iran has maintained active diplomatic ties with Afghanistan’s new rulers, though it has yet to officially recognize the Taliban government.
Iran’s water right
During the meeting, Araghchi referred to Iran’s water right in the border river of Hirmand, also known as Helmand, and the issue of illegal Afghan migrants as the two important issues in relations between the two countries.
He said Iran has never sought to interfere in Afghanistan and calls for the full implementation of the Hirmand River agreement signed between the two neighboring countries in 1973 to resolve the water issue.
Tensions between the countries have intensified in recent years over water resources and Afghanistan’s construction of dams on the Hirmand and Harirud.
Araghchi also called for turning the water issue into a matter of cooperation instead of conflict.
Mullah Hassan Akhund, for his part, said the Taliban government is not seeking to prevent the flow of water from Hirmand river into Iran, adding that, “We have ordered the ministries of water and agriculture to send water to Iran.”
“If we have a drop of water, we will share it with our Iranian brothers,” he said.
He emphasized that there is a specific agreement between Iran and Afghanistan regarding Iran’s water right in the Hirmand River.
Illegal Afghan migrants
Both officials also discussed the issue of illegal Afghan migrants in Iran.
Araghchi called for the development of a comprehensive plan for the return of Afghan nationals to their homeland.
The Taliban official also thanked Iran for hosting Afghan refugees for a long time.
Iran shares more than 900 kilometers of border with Afghanistan, and the Islamic republic hosts one of the largest refugee populations in the world – mostly Afghans fleeing decades of war.
The flow of Afghan immigrants has increased since the Taliban took power.
Also on Sunday, Araghchi met with his Afghan counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Economic relations
Araghchi praised the two countries’ economic, trade and political relations in his talks with Muttaqi, expressing hope that, “During this trip we will be able to further expand the ties in line with the national interests of both sides” as he placed a premium on security and economic arenas.
Muttaqi “expressed hope that (Araghchi’s) visit to Kabul would create further momentum in relations between the two countries and they would enter a new phase of bilateral relations,” the Afghan Foreign Ministry said.
Araghchi also said the issues of water and migration demanded expanded cooperation and called for the full implementation of bilateral water treaties.
The Taliban official said the region was suffering from climate change-induced drought and that Taliban authorities were “trying to ensure that water reaches both sides” of the Iran-Afghanistan border.
Several Iranian delegations have visited Afghanistan over the years, including a parliamentary delegation in August 2023 to discuss water rights.