Zarif Highlights Need for Unity Among Afghan Groups

In a phone conversation on Sunday, Zarif stressed the need for building unity among different Afghan groups, establishing peace and security in the country, and expanding bilateral cooperation.

Back on April 7, Zarif had held two separate phone conversations with Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah. FM Zarif reiterated the importance of the political structures based on the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in the process of peace and national reconciliation, announcing that Iran is ready to support the peace process in the country with the participation of all Afghan political groups within the framework of the Constitution.

Also, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on March 26 in support of an initiative proposed by the UN secretary general with regards to the enforcement of a nationwide ceasefire in Afghanistan. “Since the Islamic Republic of Iran is well familiar with the situation in Afghanistan as it is a neighbour of Afghanistan and has been hosting millions of Afghan immigrants over the past forty years, it fully supports the enforcement of the secretary general’s idea of establishing a nationwide ceasefire in Afghanistan. The Islamic Republic of Iran asks all armed groups in this country to open a new chapter in Afghanistan’s history by making a brave decision to agree to the nationwide ceasefire and create a safe environment to fight the coronavirus,” read the statement.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran announced its readiness to contribute to political programs which will be proposed by the UN after the enforcement of the nationwide ceasefire in order to resolve Afghan issues,” it added.