It is too early to talk about recognizing the future Afghan government or attending its inauguration ceremony, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Monday during his weekly press conference. "We must observe the formation of the future government of Afghanistan, then we will make decisions about other issues," spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted as saying by semi-official news agency Tasnim. A possible invitation by the Taliban to attend the inauguration, he said, will be decided on by Tehran "based on their actions." Nevertheless, it is Iran's "definite purpose" to strengthen its relations with the people of Afghanistan and help fulfill the Afghan people's aspirations, Khatibzadeh also said. Iran, he noted, is "one of the few actors that has relations with all parties in Afghanistan." Khatibzadeh recalled Tehran was host to an inter-Afghan summit on July 7 and 8, and said the Iranian government tried to involve "all Afghan groups, not just the government and the Taliban," in an inclusive inter-Afghan dialogue process. "War and violence are not the solution, and no one can replace dialogue with war and violence," the spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry warned. No minority government can bring peace and stability in the long term, he added.It is too early to talk about recognizing the future Afghan government or attending its inauguration ceremony, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry said on Monday during his weekly press conference. "We must observe the formation of the future government of Afghanistan, then we will make decisions about other issues," spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted as saying by semi-official news agency Tasnim. A possible invitation by the Taliban to attend the inauguration, he said, will be decided on by Tehran "based on their actions." Nevertheless, it is Iran's "definite purpose" to strengthen its relations with the people of Afghanistan and help fulfill the Afghan people's aspirations, Khatibzadeh also said. Iran, he noted, is "one of the few actors that has relations with all parties in Afghanistan." Khatibzadeh recalled Tehran was host to an inter-Afghan summit on July 7 and 8, and said the Iranian government tried to involve "all Afghan groups, not just the government and the Taliban," in an inclusive inter-Afghan dialogue process. "War and violence are not the solution, and no one can replace dialogue with war and violence," the spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry warned. No minority government can bring peace and stability in the long term, he added.
