Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Arrives in Kabul for Fifth Iran-Afghanistan Consular Commission Meeting
Vahid Jalalzadeh, Iran’s Deputy Minister for Consular Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs, and Iranians Abroad, arrived in Kabul on Monday, July 13, to participate in the fifth meeting of the Iran-Afghanistan Joint Consular Commission. During this trip, he is also scheduled to meet and hold talks with Taliban administration officials.
Esmail Baghai, spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the purpose of the visit is to consult on consular cooperation, address migrant affairs, and strengthen people-to-people interactions between the two countries. According to him, the discussions will focus on consular services and the problems faced by citizens of both sides.
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson also emphasized that Tehran does not link its cooperation with Afghanistan to the recognition of the Taliban administration. He described the recognition process as a “political and legal process” and said that whenever a final decision is made, it will be officially announced.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, despite maintaining political and commercial relations with the Taliban administration, has so far not officially recognized it as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Taliban seek to expand regional relations but still lack full international legitimacy, which affects the scope and nature of their official interactions with other countries.
The Iran-Afghanistan Joint Consular Commission serves as a bilateral mechanism to address consular issues between the two countries. Topics such as migrant affairs, visa issuance, identity documents, prisoner transfers, and other matters concerning the citizens of both countries are discussed within these meetings—issues that are especially significant in practical and daily terms for the millions of Afghan migrants residing in Iran.
