Heading a delegation, Arnault has travelled to Tehran to exchange views with Iranian foreign ministry officials.
In the Sunday meeting, Zarif pointed to the dire situation and growing complexity of the circumstances in Afghanistan, slamming foreign powers’ inappropriate policies as one of the root causes of the current situation there.
He also expressed Iran’s readiness to help with and facilitate negotiations among the Afghan sides in order to advance the peace process in the neighboring state.
Zarif described the intra-Afghan talks as the only solution to the problems facing that country.
“The international community should adopt a straightforward stance to support a political settlement of the crisis in Afghanistan and condemn violence and its consequences,” he said.
The UN envoy, for his part, stressed the important role of Iran and other regional countries in contributing to the peace trend in Afghanistan.
He said no country or limited number of countries alone will be able to organize the current situation in Afghanistan, adding that only collective cooperation can defuse the situation in that country.
Arnault emphasized that the intra-Afghan talks would be the only way to tackle the current situation.
He also described his negotiations in Tehran as fruitful and significant.