Statement by

H.E. Mr. Majid Takht Ravanchi

Ambassador and Permanent Representative

of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations

Before the United Nations Security Council

On “the situation in Afghanistan”

New York, 23 March 2021

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Madam President,

I thank Ms. Deborah Lyons, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan for her briefing. Iran stands ready to cooperate with Mr. Jean Arnault, the newly-appointed Personal Envoy of Secretary-General on Afghanistan and Regional Issues.

The people of Afghanistan are nowadays celebrating Nowruz and the start of a new year. Congratulating Nowruz to all Afghans, we hope that the beginning of the new year will be the start of a new chapter in their history towards a lasting peace, stability and prosperity.

The demand of Afghans from all walks of life for a durable peace has never been as loud as now. Their voice must be heard and effectively supported. They must not be left alone at this critical juncture.

The mere fact that there are now a good number of efforts and initiatives on Afghanistan, is a welcome development, as at least they represent the political will of internal, regional and international players to end the tragic conflict in that country.

Nevertheless, neither can peace be imported or imposed nor can the high number of initiatives ensure their success. What is needed the most now is to invest on an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned, UN-facilitated, comprehensive and inclusive peace process.

It must include all Afghan factions, including the Taliban, place the interests of all people of Afghanistan above the interests of certain segments of that society, duly take into account the legitimate interests and concerns of neighboring countries, and receive the support of the international community.

Any proposed plan must be realistic, comprehensive and balanced. It must preserve and be built upon the past achievements of the people and Government of Afghanistan, particularly the present Constitution, the right of the people to self-determination through elections, the right of ethnic and religious minorities and women, as well as the commitment to combat terrorism.

In this context, we remind resolution A/RES/75/90, in which, the General Assembly has called for the preservation of Afghanistan’s Constitution and rejected the restoration of the Islamic Emirate. It is to be reminded that the present system of governance, which was chosen by the people of Afghanistan, enjoys a strong international support.

As a consistent principled position, Iran continues to call for the central role, and further and substantive engagement, of the United Nations in an intra-Afghan peace process. Iran stands ready, in coordination with the United Nations, to further contribute to the success of this process.

At the same time, peace and violence are contradictory and cannot go hand in hand. Therefore, to reciprocate the good will of Afghanistan’s Government in the peace talks, the Taliban must halt all its attacks against Afghan defense and security forces.

Afghanistan’s security situation has remained a source of serious concern. On the one hand, the terrorist acts by Daesh represent a grave threat to the security of Afghanistan and the region and on the other, the presence of foreign forces is another source of Afghanistan’s instability.

We reiterate our longstanding call for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan, which, as many countries have stated, must be orderly and responsible and must not lead to a security vacuum in Afghanistan.

At the same time, prior and simultaneous to the withdrawal of foreign forces, Afghanistan’s military and security forces must be supported and strengthened and effective assistance must be extended to Afghanistan in combating the illicit production of and trafficking in narcotic drugs, which is a source of financing terrorism and other crimes.

It is a given fact that a durable peace in Afghanistan cannot be established without promoting its economic conditions, which requires strong regional and international support.

For our turn, in addition to hosting over three million Afghans despite facing the savage U.S. economic terrorism, we have promoted economic cooperation with Afghanistan and, by implementing certain projects, established the link of this land-locked country to high seas through Iran’s Chabahar Port and to Europe through the Khaf-Herat railway.

The latter was inaugurated last December by the Presidents of both countries, who called the inauguration of this project a historical event, further strengthening bilateral and regional economic cooperation, thus enhancing the foundations of a durable peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Iran and Afghanistan enjoy common religious, cultural, linguistic and historical backgrounds and our stability, socio-cultural development and economic growth are intertwined and mutually reinforcing.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to contribute to a more secure and prosperous Afghanistan through further enhancing relations between two fraternal nations.

I thank you, Madam President.