Iran Press/ Asia: According to the Hirmand Treaty, which was signed in 1972 by the then authorities of Iran and Afghanistan, Iran's share of the Hirmand River water is equal to 820 million cubic meters per year and about 26 cubic meters per second, which, of course, varies in different months and seasons.
The previous government of Afghanistan, which claimed to secure Iran's water rights by constructing the Kamal Khan Dam in Nimroz province on the Hirmand River, practically prevented the implementation of this agreement, which caused great damage to human, animal and plant life around the Hirmand River in Iran, especially in Sistan and Baluchistan province.
In an exclusive interview with an Iran Press reporter, ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kabul Hassan Kazemi Qomi touched on the importance of realizing the country's water rights from the Hirmand river, noting the Taliban government accepted the 1972 treaty as an international treaty since the beginning of its tenure in Kabul, and the Taliban in their official notes has stressed the provision of Iran's water rights in the framework of this treaty.
The ambassador added, "The current Taliban government believes that the 1972 treaty is a bilateral agreement and must be implemented, and emphasizes the provisions of this treaty, including that 820 million cubic meters of water should enter Iran in normal water years."
Kazemi Qomi underlined, "According to the treaty, three water measuring stations should be established in three points, which has been agreed with the Taliban government and the preparations for the establishment of three stations are underway."
"But the amount of water that was released this year, a very small amount of it entered Iran, and a huge part of this water went to the salt marsh area of Godzare."
Detour route of Kamal Khan Dam
At the same time, Kazemi Qomi has emphasized the important point is that before the Taliban took office, during the previous government in Afghanistan, the construction of the "Kamal Khan" dam was started, and according to experts, this dam was a detour one because the amount of water behind the dam was about 52 million cubic meters.
The Iranian diplomat stated, "Most of the water that flows through the Hirmand River and reaches Nimroz province and then Iran due to floods, is good in rainy years and the volume of water is over one billion cubic meters."
The Iranian ambassador in Kabul added, "The capacity of the Kamal Khan Dam is low and when the water reaches this dam with a large volume, it fills up, but a route has been created and the water flows towards the "salt marsh" area."
Kazemi Qomi has said that during a year of negotiations with the Afghan authorities, especially in the recent talks and the meeting with the foreign minister of the Taliban government, they expressed their regret about the wastage of water and consider this issue to be due to the technical problems of the Kamal Khan Dam, and this is the right thing to say.
The Iranian ambassador stated that the road in front of and behind the Kamal Khan Dam needs dredging, and measures should be taken to prevent the flood from going in the detour direction.
Kazemi Qomi expressed hope that considering that the Taliban officials emphasized solving the technical problems of the Kamal Khan Dam, to start practical measures to block the water diversion route of this dam, Iran can also help them.
Reason behind border tensions between Iran, Afghanistan
Kazemi Qomi also stated about the cause of border tensions, "The issue of border tensions between Iran and Afghanistan is one of Iran's priorities for paying attention to border security, smoothing the commute, making the border smarter and facilitating the economic activities."
The ambassador elsewhere has made the remarks that the fact that "we are facing a border of about 950 kilometers. This border lacks physical protection measures and many commutes are carried out legally and illegally from the border of the two countries."
The Iranian diplomat stressed that considering the conditions of Afghanistan and the current situation, most of it is caused by the destructive policies of the occupation period in Afghanistan, which destroyed the economy, and when there is no economy and livelihood, migration and displacement are surfaced.
Kazemi Qomi also stated that the Americans brought ISIS to Afghanistan so that the people of this country would not have security, and the economic and security crisis in Afghanistan is the root that goes back to the period of occupation.
At the same time, Iran's ambassador has said that the expression of this issue does not mean that the rulers of Afghanistan today are not responsible, the interim government of the Taliban is responsible for ensuring the security of the Afghan people and ensuring the security of the common borders.
Border checkpoints abandoned in Ashraf Ghani's government
Kazemi Qomi stated that Iran is said to be one of the major drug transit corridors due to its proximity to Europe, and Iran makes sacrifices every year in the fight against this sinister phenomenon because these opiates are transferred across common borders.
The Iranian ambassador noted that the discovery of narcotics by the Islamic Republic of Iran is significant.
Kazemi Qomi stated that during the previous government of Afghanistan, a bad thing happened and the border posts were abandoned by the border guard forces, and observation of this issue showed that these retreats show traces of the presence of ISIS.
The Iranian diplomat emphasized that a large part of Afghanistan's border checkpoints today has no border guard forces and this issue creates a problem and a challenge.
Kazemi Qomi emphasized, "On the other hand, with the migrants coming towards the common border at night, the border guard who is guarding faces a large number of people, whether they are smugglers, Daesh or Afghan people, and he has to face this flux of people."
"The Americans are trying to create a conflict between Iran and the Taliban and they are doing mischievous actions," said the Iranian ambassador in Kabul, noting some are conducting provocative actions.
Kazemi Qomi stated that, in addition, there are groups trying to come to Iran as terrorist groups.
The Iranian ambassador noted that there is an important point and the facts must be told. During the unrest in Iran, some terrorist movements were looking to bring weapons from Afghanistan to Iran, and these discoveries were made by the Taliban.
Ensuring border security via strategic actions
Kazemi Qomi elsewhere made the remarks that there were 25 to 26 border clashes between Iran and Afghanistan in one year, but some provocative measures were taken to cause a conflict between Iran and the Taliban.
The Iranian ambassador pointed out that Iran and the Taliban are responsible for establishing the security of the common borders and they are doing good actions that one of the strategic tasks of creating security at the borders is facilitating economic activities.
Kazemi Qomi said that common free zones should be created, the borders should be made smoother and smarter, and overall, the common border between Iran and Afghanistan is in a better condition compared to the country's borders with other countries.
Launching a consortium between Iran and Afghanistan
Kazemi Qomi also said about the importance of international transit and railway cooperation with the Taliban government, "The Khaf-Herat railway line was destroyed during the conflicts in Afghanistan, this railway route is defined in the master plan of the South-North transit route, and this railway line is one of Iran's priorities".
The diplomat also stated that a railway consortium has been launched and "we want to put economic work not only with Afghans, but also with other countries, on the basis of the private sector, and the government should support it".
Kazemi Qomi added that in this regard, the Islamic Republic of Iran has reached an agreement with the Taliban government and the work has started.
The high-ranking official said that a consortium has been formed in the field of mining, and Afghanistan can be a complementary economy to Iran.
Kazemi Qomi noted that in the fields of industry and agriculture, Afghanistan can be an economic complement to Iran, raising the question that why it is necessary for Iran to import its basic goods from other countries, while Afghanistan can be Iran's first priority in the complementary economy approach.
The Iranian ambassador went on to say that Afghanistan has a suitable climate and land; Iran is ready to give seeds and money and Taliban produce, and in addition to meeting its own needs, Iran has a guaranteed purchase of five million tons from Afghanistan every year.
Kazemi Qomi also added that in the field of energy, one of the countries supplying electricity to Afghanistan is Iran, and the production of government electricity in Afghanistan is low and is 300 megawatts, and it imports about 700 megawatts of electricity from other countries, including Iran.
The ambassador of Iran in Afghanistan stated, "But the ground for the construction of clean power plants between the two countries is available and work is being done on it; in the common borders, the winds blow for 120 days, and by creating joint free zones, clean energy can be produced from it."
End of US occupation
Kazemi Qomi also stated about the continuation of US involvement in Afghanistan, "The foreigners left Afghanistan, but their mischief continues in Afghanistan and they are still supporting ISIS so that it can be a pressure against the Taliban."
The Iranian ambassador in Kabul emphasized that ISIS is strengthening against other countries that are either friendly or enemies from the American point of view.
Kazemi Qomi noted, "They support ISIS and terrorism so that stability and security are not formed in Afghanistan, they block the money of the Afghan people to put more pressure on the people and the Taliban government."
"In other words, the American occupation left Afghanistan, but the interference is still there and their policy is that Afghanistan does not move towards stability, but the US will ultimately fail."
Kazemi Qomi stated that the region is facing international terrorism which is supported by the Zionists and the United States. "These parties are strengthening terrorism in Afghanistan and air control is still in the hands of the United States, and this issue is objected to by the Taliban."
Regarding Afghanistan's security forecast, Kazemi Qomi stated, "Despite all these mischiefs and due to the concern of the neighboring countries and the region, they are ready to help the Taliban government to fight terrorism and establish security and stability in Afghanistan."
Iran's view of Afghanistan
Regarding Iran's interaction with the Taliban government, Kazemi Qomi said that the view that both the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic of Iran system have towards the people of Afghanistan is supportive and understanding of their conditions and situation.
Iran's ambassador stated that no human being wants to leave his homeland, but if the general public leaves, it is because of security and economic problems, and it must be admitted that a large part of Afghan immigrants enters Iran illegally.
Kazemi-Qomi added that in order to prevent illegal entry into Iran, it is necessary to work on blocking the borders, and in general, the establishment of border security requires such measures.
In the end, the Iranian ambassador emphasized that everyone should help the occupied and destroyed Afghanistan, the Afghan people do not want to leave their land, and after solving the security problems, and establishing stability, construction, and economy of Afghanistan, the immigrants will voluntarily return to their land.
216
Read more:
Iranian FM commissioned to pursue Iran's water share of Hirmand River
Iranian FM urges Afghanistan to resolve water issues concerning Hirmand
