Report in TOLOnews, May 22, 2023 at 8:42 PM
The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, referring to recent tensions over water between Kabul and Tehran, said that the recent droughts should not be ignored, and Kabul expects the Iranian officials to make their demands based on the treaty.
Addressing a ceremony on the 7th anniversary of the death of former Islamic Emirate leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, the acting Minister of Foreign Affair Amir Khan Muttaqi said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to the Helmand water treaty signed in 1973.
“Regarding Iran’s water rights, the Islamic Emirate is committed to the water treaty of 1973 but the drought that exists in Afghanistan and region should not be ignored,” he said.
He also said that the issue of water should not be politicalized and it should be solved through negotiations.
“The pain of the people of Sistan and Baluchestan is our pain. Our hearts melt for them as much as they melt for the people of Afghanistan, but we also suffer from a shortage of water,” Muttaqi said.
The tensions between the two neighbouring countries has risen since Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said that the current Afghan government should ensure Iran’s water rights of the Helmand River based on international treaties.
“I will remind the rulers of Afghanistan that they should not regard our demand as being ordinary and must take it very seriously,” Raisi said.
According to the 1973 treaty, Afghanistan is committed to sharing water from the Helmand River with Iran at the rate of 26 cubic meters of water per second, or 850 million cubic meters per annum.
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-183468
