The Iranian embassy in Kabul has announced that Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, will visit the Afghan capital in the near future at the official invitation of Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister.

This visit is expected to mark a significant step in strengthening the diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Zakir Jalaly, director of the third political department at Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry, described Araghchi’s visit as a constructive move that could elevate Kabul-Tehran relations to a new level. Jalaly emphasized the shared political, economic, and security interests between Afghanistan and Iran, noting that this visit presents an opportunity to further consolidate cooperation in these areas.

Araghchi’s visit will be particularly notable as he is the highest-ranking Iranian official to visit Afghanistan since the return of the Islamic Emirate to power. Although several Iranian delegations have visited Afghanistan in the past three years, and Afghan officials have traveled to Iran, Araghchi’s visit is seen as a key development in the relationship between the two nations.

The visit also follows remarks by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian during his trips to Tajikistan and Russia, where he emphasized the importance of maintaining stability in Afghanistan.

Despite generally positive relations between the interim Afghan government and Iran over the past few years, there have been occasional tensions, particularly over issues such as Iran’s water rights from Afghanistan and the deportation of Afghan migrants. These challenges, however, have not overshadowed the broader diplomatic efforts between the two neighboring countries.

Araghchi’s upcoming visit is seen as a pivotal moment in strengthening bilateral cooperation, with expectations that it could usher in a new phase of diplomatic engagement between Kabul and Tehran. (ILKHA)