Iran’s negotiations with the Taliban are aimed at encouraging them to engage in political activity instead of armed confrontation, a lawmaker said.
“It will be desirable if we manage to convince moderate Taliban forces to stop militant activity and play a role as a political group in Afghanistan,” Morteza Saffari Natanzi, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, also told ICANA on Monday.
Iran has initiated talks with Taliban's representatives to facilitate dialogue between the insurgents and the government of Afghanistan.
The discussions have been held with the knowledge of the Kabul government whose requests for negotiation have been rejected by the Taliban.
“The Taliban are not our favored forces, but we need to accept that they have overrun parts of Afghan territories and play a significant role in political and security terms,” he said, adding that eliminating the group is not currently possible.
According to Saffari, it is essential for Iran to get involved in Afghanistan’s peace process since the two countries share a long border.
“Afghanistan’s peace and security … are linked with our national interests and have tangible effects on the security of our border towns,” he said.
