TEHRAN – The Iranian President’s Special Representative for Afghanistan has declared that “given the situation in Afghanistan, the Taliban are a reality in this country which controls the capital and is responsible for ensuring the security of this country”.

In an interview with the IRIB news agency on Friday, Hassan Kazemi Qomi said his appointment to this post shows Afghanistan’s status in Iran’s foreign policy with regard to the national security of the Islamic Republic. .

He said: “Afghanistan is in a complex and critical situation, and 20 years of American occupation has resulted in nothing but murder, assault and destruction for the oppressed people of this country. ”

The envoy went on to say, “Under such circumstances, we are witnessing the resumption of another dimension of terrorist acts and the murder of the oppressed people of Afghanistan, which can be interpreted as a continuation of US strategy in the region.

He pointed out that the flight of US troops from Afghanistan coincided with the entry of ISIS into the security dimension of Afghanistan, which means the Americans waged a proxy war against the oppressed Afghan people after their 20 years of occupation of the country of Central Asia. ended in failure.

Afghanistan is always important to Americans because they believe they can create security problems for countries like China, Russia and Iran by terrorist groups, Kazemi Qomi noted.

“We have to consider the priorities and the conditions, because currently Afghanistan is facing security challenges and difficult conditions.”

He stressed: “From this point of view, it is important that our country (helps) to establish stability and security in Afghanistan, and the Americans want to extend the instability and security problems to its neighbors, and the Iran will be no exception to this (effort). “
The special envoy has linked stability and security in the region to stability in Afghanistan and other US-occupied countries like Iraq.

“On the other hand, Afghanistan can be defined in the area of ​​civilization of our country and the protection of this area of ​​civilization is extremely important to us,” he stressed.

In response to Iran’s duty regarding the inflamed atmosphere in Afghanistan, he said, regardless of the current political and security environment in Afghanistan, “we must work to expand comprehensive cooperation in this country.”
The Special Envoy also stressed that the Afghan people are suffering from food shortages and that Iran needs to step up its trade with the country, while the expansion of political, economic and trade relations with Kabul could affect the stability of the country and prevent an influx of migrants to Iran’s borders.

“In this perspective, the strengthening of global relations with Afghanistan, including economic, political, defense and above all regional cooperation, will lead to stability and security” in Afghanistan.

He stressed that in this context, all countries in the region should help build Afghanistan and prevent terrorism as a sinister legacy of the occupiers.

Now, the problems plaguing Afghanistan are not limited to the country, the envoy noted, warning that security threats could be directed at countries in the region and that Iran must work hard to stem them. .

He went on to say that President Ebrahim Raisi’s decision to appoint a Special Representative for Afghanistan aims to coordinate efforts and utilize all national, governmental and private capacities, especially in the economic field in this regard. “The private sector should help activate our country’s economic diplomacy capacity in Afghanistan as part of the roadmap that has been developed.
Regarding the recent explosions in Shiite mosques in Afghanistan, Kazemi Qomi said: “These terrorist acts are not only aimed at creating chaos in this country, but also at waging a war between Shiites and Sunnis, polarizing the country and involve countries in the region, especially Iran.

The Special Representative stressed: “From this point of view, we are closely following the developments in this country and are working hard to cooperate with the people of this country. “
Responding to Iran’s goal of negotiating with the Taliban given the history of the movement, he said: “Given the situation in Afghanistan, the Taliban are a reality in this country, a reality that holds the capital and is responsible for ensuring the security of this country. “

Given the scale of the problems created by foreigners in Afghanistan and their plot against the affected countries in the region, Iran should try to “get out of this situation,” he suggested.

Referring to Wednesday’s meeting in Moscow to help Afghanistan, he said: “This meeting was organized in order to find solutions to get out of the crisis in Afghanistan, and we have also been diplomatically active” at the conference. .
Regarding Iran’s policy towards the events in Afghanistan, Kazemi Qomi said that Iran, as an active actor, will help the Afghan people to establish stability and security, and strive in at the same time to extend cooperation, to secure the region, to counter the interventions of the former occupiers. and against terrorism.

He went on to say that “terrorism has a dynamic state and it cannot be said that if a country is confronted with terrorism, it will not affect the region; therefore Iran, as an active actor, would help the Afghan people to restore security ”.

On the effectiveness of Iran’s role in stemming the network of conflicts in Afghanistan, the former Iranian ambassador to Iraq underlined: “Iran has always been a factor and an encouragement to unity and, fortunately. , we have achieved great success in the diplomatic movements ”in Afghanistan. .

Highlighting the long years of Afghan resistance against the invaders – the Soviets in the 1980s and US-led forces since 2001 – Kazemi Qomi said the Afghans conquered the occupiers through unity.

“Iran has always supported unity and resistance in Afghanistan and is now the guardian of unity in this country and this is not limited to Afghanistan but in other countries in the region like Syria, Yemen, Lebanon. Iran is seen as a harbinger of unity.

Iran hosted hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and supported the Mujahedin in their fight against the invaders in the 1980s.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he said: “The Americans, although they claim to be the harbinger of peace and security, the fight against terrorism and the savior of the Afghan people, have blocked the money. of this oppressed nation and are unwilling to release him to heal his pain.

Regarding the possibility of reaching an agreement with the Taliban on resolving water rights issues, combating terrorism and preventing drug transit to Iran, Kazemi Qomi said: “It is possible to reach an agreement in this regard in the new Afghanistan.
The diplomat said: “However, we need to consider the priorities and the conditions, because in the current situation in Afghanistan, which faces security challenges and difficult conditions, we need to know which issue to pursue at the right time.”

All of these cases were part of the agreements between the two countries that should be pursued under Iran’s already crafted policy and roadmap, Kazemi Qomi noted.

The Special Representative said: “We hope that with the participation of Iran and neighboring countries, the necessary security and stability will be ensured in Afghanistan so that the objectives pursued can be achieved within the framework of national interests. I am optimistic about this, and while this path has its complexities and difficulties, it is doable. “

“In other areas, we have faced more difficult conditions and have gained a wealth of experience in difficult conditions. In this regard, we hope that with the collective participation of the countries of the region and within the framework of a specific strategy, under the leadership of the chief and the president, the role played by the ministers concerned and involving the private sector, we we will be able to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan, ”he concluded.