Mohammad Reza Bahrami, director general for South Asia at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has said the purpose of an upcoming regional meeting on Afghanistan in Tehran is to facilitate an exchange of views among the special representatives of participating countries.
Earlier, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Tehran would host a regional meeting next week on “developments related to Afghanistan.” Referring to recent tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan, Esmail Baghaei said: “We hope this meeting can play an effective role in strengthening cooperation and reducing tensions.”
However, Bahrami said that despite the escalation in relations between Islamabad and the Taliban, mediation is not on the agenda for the Tehran meeting.
According to Iranian state media, Bahrami said: “Our goal in this meeting is to create space for exchanging views and presenting perspectives among the special representatives of Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries.” He added that the Islamic Republic seeks to “strengthen convergence and mutual understanding regarding relevant developments.”
Bahrami said Afghanistan can play an important role in regional connectivity, economic development and the strengthening of regional security, and that the countries of the region share common interests in this regard.
Iran had previously expressed willingness to mediate between the Taliban and Pakistan.
