Afghan President Arrives in Tehran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai started an official visit to Iran this morning to meet senior Iranian officials.
Upon arrival at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport, Karzai was officially welcomed by the Iranian vice-president, Mohammad Shariatmadari.
Karzai’s visit came at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani.
Karzai is accompanied by a number of senior Afghan officials, including Head of Afghanistan National Security Council Dadfar Sepanta and Foreign Minister Zarar Ahmad Osmani.
During his day-long visit, the Afghan president is scheduled to meet high-ranking officials, including President Hassan Rouhani.
Security agreement between the US and Afghanistan, which Iran believes will have negative consequences for the region if signed, as well as latest regional developments are among topics due to be discussed by the two neighboring countries' officials.
The Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) allows the US to keep thousands of its troops in Afghanistan beyond the original 2014 withdrawal date. It will also grant legal immunity to those American soldiers who remain in Afghanistan.
The deal has already been approved by the Grand Council of Afghanistan, Loya Jirga, comprised of Afghan tribal elders and other leaders. However, Kabul says the pact must wait until after next year’s presidential election, even if it is approved by the Loya Jirga and the parliament.
Iranian officials have repeatedly called for a regional solution to the existing problems in Afghanistan and underlined the necessity for an end to the presence of foreign forces in the war-torn country.
