Iranian, Afghan officials stress on expansion of trade ties

Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, in a meeting on Monday with a delegation representing the caretaker Taliban administration headed by the Afghan acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs, said the spat between the two countries on Iran’s water share of the Hirmand River has adversely affected bilateral relations in all areas.

“The issue of water has cast a shadow on both countries’ medium- and long-term plans and efforts should be made to resolve this problem,” Vahidi said.

The border security, fighting terrorism, establishing conditions for the return of Afghan refugees to their country, and developing business relations were among the other issues discussed in the meeting.

For his part, the acting deputy premier for economic affairs of the Taliban government, Abdul Ghani Baradar, said the goal of the 30-member Afghan delegation’s visit to Iran is to consult with Iran’s economic officials to promote bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, transit, investment and customs.