Iran’s special representative for Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, said on Saturday that advising the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) does not mean interference in its internal affairs, adding that the Tehran meeting was a good platform for the IEA which declined to attend.
Qomi stated this in a press conference after the second meeting of the regional contact group for Afghanistan between the representatives of Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran in Tehran.
The envoy emphasized that no country in the world has acted as much as Iran in supporting the people of Afghanistan and engaging with the Islamic Emirate.
He pointed out that Afghanistan’s neighbors are looking to prepare a “comprehensive road map” for rebuilding the country.
Referring to the first and second UN-sponsored Doha meetings on Afghanistan, Qomi said that what was discussed in the meetings was not something that would help Afghanistan.
He mentioned that one of the issues was the appointment of a special representative by the United Nations for Afghanistan, while UNAMA is present in Afghanistan.
The diplomat also noted that Tehran will help any initiative that paves the way for the Islamic Emirate as a responsible government, but if something is to be imposed or has no result, it will not support it.
He said that efforts are underway to change the agenda of the upcoming third Doha meeting, and the policy is that the Islamic Emirate attend the meeting.
The Islamic Emirate has confirmed that it was invited to the meeting in Tehran, but did not accept it.
Zakir Jalaly, Director of the Third Political Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, said that the Afghan government expects that meetings on Afghanistan should be held through the existing mechanisms, not new ones.
He added that the Afghan government is engaged in discussions with relevant sides about the upcoming third Doha meeting.
The third Doha meeting on Afghanistan is scheduled to be held on June 30.
