TEHRAN: Pakistan and Iran on Tuesday urged the international community to provide financial assistance to Afghanistan to avert any humanitarian crisis.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian in a joint press conference emphasized the need for an active response from the world on the situation in Afghanistan.
Both the foreign ministers expressed unanimity of views on extending humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. FM Qureshi urged upon the United Nations, the European Union and aid agencies to pace up their humanitarian assistance.
Shah Mehmoood further said the people of Afghanistan deserved peace as they suffered conflict for four decades. “We as a neighbour would continue to stand by Afghanistan in difficult times,” he said.
On his meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, he said the discussions focused on bilateral relations and regional matters. He said both sides expressed satisfaction over the recent collaboration in trade and defence.
Meanwhile, Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian said Iran would continue its contacts with all parties in Afghanistan, adding that Iran’s security consultations with the Afghan interim government were underway.
“We are closely monitoring the developments in Afghanistan and believe that formation of an inclusive government with the participation of all the ethnicities in Afghanistan is the most significant political solution before us,” Amirabdollahian said.
He also noted that Iran would make use of the capacity of all its border crossings with Afghanistan to send and facilitate humanitarian supplies into the country.
Amirabdollahian said accelerating the dispatch of humanitarian aids from other countries into Afghanistan during the cold snap would lower the peak of refugees flowing to neighbouring countries.
Earlier, the two foreign ministers over a working luncheon at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran held extensive discussions on matters of mutual interest, the Foreign Office said.
Special Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, Ambassador of Pakistan to Iran, Rahim Hayat Qureshi and other senior officials accompanied the Foreign Minister.
