Afghanistan committed to Hirmand river treaty with Iran

Amir Khan Muttaqi reaffirmed Iran’s water rights on Monday, repeating that Afghanistan adheres to the 1351 Treaty signed by the governments of the two neighbors.

The issue of water has no need to be politicized, he said, adding that such matters should be resolved through mutual understanding and dialogue.

The Taliban diplomat further said that the treaty has to be a criterion for arguments about water rights, repeating the claim that climatic factors such as drought have reduced the water in the shared river on the Afghan side of the border.

“Taliban recognizes Iran’s water right and we never want to create problems for this neighboring country, Muttaqi has earlier said.

Afghanistan has never been after creating challenges for Iran in the field of water issues, he added.

Meanwhile, the Iranian media cited the head of Iran’s Department of Environment (DOE) Ali Salajegheh to have said earlier on Monday that Iran had held a meeting with the Taliban government in Afghanistan to discuss Iran’s water shares in the shared Hirmand River.

TM/TNA2899871