Kabul (TDI): Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Kabul Sunday on the first high-level visit by an Iranian official to Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the day-long visit was intended to bolster relations between the two countries and “pursue mutual interests.”
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His Afghani counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, welcomed him in Kabul. Araghchi is later scheduled to meet Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy prime minister for economic affairs.
Iranian state TV reported that Agarchi’s bilateral meetings will focus on border security, strengthening political ties, and expanding economic ties.
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The two countries have been at loggerheads in recent years over water rights and the construction of dams from Afghanistan on the Helmand and Harirud rivers.
Iran shares a border of over 900 kilometres (560 miles) and hosts over 780,000 Afghan refugees who fled decades of war.
The number of Afghan refugees entering Iran surged significantly when the Taliban came into power in August 2021.
In September 2021, Iranian authorities revealed plans to construct a wall along more than 10 kilometres of the eastern border with Afghanistan to halt migrants’ influx.
