Iran Favors A Stable, Developed Afghanistan: Salehi

Tehran, March 13, IRNA – Iran favors a stable, secure and developed Afghanistan in its neighborhood, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said here on Monday. Salehi made the remark in a meeting with the new United Nations Representative to Afghanistan, Jan Kubis. “Iran supports the exit of foreign troops from Afghanistan as source of insecurity in the region,” Salehi added. Salehi criticized the recent insults by foreign military personnel against Islamic sanctities, including the Glorious Qur'an, adding that such actions will only make the situation in Afghanistan much more complicated. The UN envoy to Afghanistan for his part declared Iran as one of its most important partners in Afghanistan, adding that Tehran’s support for the establishment of peace and security, as well as development of that country is necessary. Afghanistan and Iran share an extensive history. Afghan-Iranian relations have improved since the fall of the Taliban and Iran has played an active role in Afghanistan’s reconstruction. Afghanistan shares a long and intertwined history with Iran. There are also deep ties in language, its people and culture. As an eastern dialect of Persian, Dari is the dominant language in Iran had supported the cause of the Afghan resistance against the former Soviet occupation. Iran is also strongly against the American military presence in Afghanistan. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), about one million Afghan refugees still live in Iran. Since late 2001, the new Afghan government under Hamid Karzai has engaged in cordial relations with Iran. Afghanistan has an embassy in Tehran and a consulate in Mashad. Trade between the two nations has increased dramatically since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. Iran and Afghanistan plan on building a new rail line connecting Mashhad to Herat and eventually to Kabul. In 2009 Iran was the fourth largest investor in Afghanistan, which is mainly in the construction of roads and bridges as well as agriculture and health care. Iran exports oil products, cement, construction material, carpets, home appliances, and detergents and imports nuts, carpets, agricultural products as well as handicrafts from Afghanistan. Afghanistan imports 90 percent of its needs, except agricultural products. During the anti-US demonstrations across Afghanistan over the burning of the Holy Quran protesters threw rocks at police and tried to storm the governor's house in various provinces. More than 25 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in the demonstrations, when it first emerged that copies of Quran and religious materials had been thrown into a fire pit used to burn garbage at Bagram Air Field. There were protests around Afghanistan including the Northern provinces of Baghlan and Kunduz, as well in central provinces of Bamiyan and Ghazni and in the Eastern province of Nangarhar. The government of Afghanistan underlined the necessity for trying those responsible for burning copies of the Holy Qur'an at the military base./end