Iran calls for release of frozen Afghan assets
For the first time since the formation of Afghanistan's current government, Iran's Foreign Minister receives an Afghan delegation and stresses the need to release Afghan assets frozen in Washington.
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Taliban delegation in Tehran meeting Iran's foreign minister on January 9, 2022 (Social Media)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian received Sunday an Afghan delegation headed by Acting Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi, for the first time since the formation of the current government in Kabul.
Amir-Abdollahian said Afghan people have proven that there is no foreign force capable of occupying Afghanistan, describing the Taliban leaders' statements regarding the formation of a comprehensive Afghan government as "positive."
He stressed that his country will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, noting that one of the axes of the US policy is to spread discord between Afghanistan and the surrounding countries.
Amir-Abdullahian also stressed the necessity of releasing Afghan funds frozen by the US on humanitarian grounds and to help improve the economic situation of the Afghan people.
د بهرنیو چارو سرپرست وزیر محترم مولوي امیرخان متقي او د افغانستان لپاره د ایران د رئيس جمهور خاص استازي محترم حسن کاظمي قمي تر منځ دوه اړخیزه ناسته وشوه. pic.twitter.com/KZzd35ZpOU
— Hafiz Zia Ahmad (@HafizZiaAhmad1) January 9, 2022
The Afghan government was prevented from accessing its assets in the US, including $9.5 of assets belonging to the Afghan Central Bank that Washington has seized.
For his part, Muttaqi thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for hosting Afghans for the past 43 years, noting that Iran has always been on the side of the Afghan people.
He also pointed out that the current Afghan government is not against neighboring countries, adding that the US left Afghanistan after a shameful defeat, but continues its anti-Afghan policies.
On Saturday, the Afghan acting minister visited Iran to discuss the issues of Afghan refugees and the growing economic crisis in Afghanistan.
It is noteworthy that last November, Iran resumed oil and gas exports to Afghanistan.
Tehran also revealed that trade exchange between Iran on one hand, and Afghanistan and Pakistan on the other, will witness a rise to $5 billion.
