Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raeisi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in a telephone conversation weighed plans to ensure sustainable security in neighboring Afghanistan.
In the phone call with Imran Khan on Sunday, Raeisi expressed concern about the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, saying, “The security of Afghanistan is important to us and this security should be established by Afghans themselves.”
The Iranian president-elect also noted that “collective security” in the region could only be established through cooperation of all regional countries, adding, “Experience has shown that foreigners only sow insecurity under the guise of establishing security, and institutionalize instability.”
He further cited Palestine as the factor of convergence in the Muslim world and said effective and constant defense for the oppressed Palestinian people would guarantee “sustainability of regional security.”
The Pakistani premier, for his part, expressed concern over the situation in Afghanistan.
He said diplomacy is the best way to solve the crisis in Afghanistan, but it will not be easy under the current circumstances.
Imran Khan expressed hope that he would meet with the Iranian president-elect in the near future, Press TV reported.
Fighting has raged between the Taliban and Afghan forces across several provinces of Afghanistan in recent months and the militant group claims to have seized more than 100 out of nearly 400 districts in the country.
The militant group’s advances come as foreign troops prepare to leave Afghanistan after two decades of war and occupation.
US President Joe Biden announced in April that all American troops would withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that Washington used as a pretext to invade and occupy the Asian country despite the fact that no Afghan national was involved in the attacks.
