Iran FM urges to fully comply with 1973 Helmand treaty
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The top Iranian diplomat called for solving the issues of Iran's water rights and urged for further cooperation of all parties inside Afghanistan.
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A general view of the hydroelectric Kajaki Dam in Kajaki, northeast of Afghanistan’s Helmand province, on March 21, 2021. (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Afghanistan’s Caretaker Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during a Saturday phone call that the 1973 water-sharing treaty on the Helmand River must be implemented fully and without restrictions.
During their conversation, Amir-Abdollahian spoke of the recent visit made by the technical delegation from the Iranian Ministry of Energy to Afghanistan.
He said that such visits enable both parties to monitor more transparency on the use of water from the river.
Read more: Iran urges Taliban to allow expert visits to Helmand Dam over shortage
The top Iranian diplomat called for solving the issues of Iran's water rights and urged for further cooperation of all parties inside Afghanistan, to restore order and stability among Afghans.
Muttaqi thanked his counterpart and said that work is underway to address these issues.
He also invited the Iranian diplomat to visit Kabul, noting the Tehran-Kabul relations are established relations of brotherhood and neighborhood.
A water-sharing accord on the Helmand River was ratified in 1973, under which Afghanistan vowed to deliver an average of 820 million cubic meters of water per annum to Iran, which has frequently condemned the former for failing to comply with the agreement.
The construction of many hydroelectric projects on the river, including the important Kamal Khan Dam in Afghanistan's Nimrouz province, and the Kajaki Dam 100 miles (160 km) northwest of Kandahar province, have caused a major rift between them.
Read more: Iranian delegation to visit Hirmand River to secure water rights
