KABUL (Dispatches) – The Taliban rulers of Afghanistan have told a visiting Iranian delegation that they are committed to cooperation with Tehran after a festering dispute between the two countries over Iran’s rights from the Hirmand River escalated in recent days.
The military delegation, headed by deputy chief of staff of the armed forces Brigadier General Bahram Husseini Motlagh, met his Afghan counterpart Mali Khan Sadiq who pointed to good cooperation between the two neighbors.
Sadiq said the Afghan government has always sought good relations with the Islamic Republic and is committed to further cooperation in various fields.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed border issues and stressed enhancing joint cooperation and resolving problems through dialogue and relevant authorities, an official Afghan statement said.
On Thursday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Afghan rulers not to violate the water rights of the Iranian people and “swiftly” supply the country with its share of water from the Hirmand.
Iran’s Parliament speaker Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday called for the “full and precise” implementation of the 1973 treaty on distribution of the Helmand water, saying that there will be “no compromise” on Iran’s share.
“The inviolable water treaty is part of the long neighborhood history of the two countries and nations of Iran and Afghanistan. The deal’s full and precise implementation benefits both nations and guarantees mutual interests... This is a vital issue and there will be no compromise on it,” he told parliament.
Ghalibaf urged the Afghan authorities “to deliver a constructive response to Iran’s positive will in this regard and prevent a serious problem in bilateral ties given sufficient water reserves on Afghan soil.”
Since the Taliban took over in 2021, authorities in Kabul have emphasized adherence to the Helmand treaty, but in practice, Iran has not received its due share of water from the river.
The 1973 treaty requires that Afghanistan provide Iran with 22 cubic meters per second or 820 million cubic meters of water a year.
The Helmand stretches for 1,150 km from the Hindu Kush mountains into Hamoun wetlands which once supported great plant and animal diversity in Iran’s Sistan Basin.
The construction of numerous dams and canals in Helmand as well as Nimruz and Kandahar has constantly depleted the flowing water level, as a result of which the Hamoun lakes have nearly disappeared with their exotic flora and fauna.