KABUL - Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Iran to respect its sovereignty in seeking a long-term agreement with the US, saying it should not make "undiplomatic" statements on this matter.
Afghanistan's Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin said none of Afghanistan's neighboring countries should be concerned about the agreement, given they had been told about it before it was signed.
Iran Ambassador to Afghanistan Abul Fazl Zuhrawand reportedly met with the Afghan head of the Senate on Monday and requested that the Parliament not approve the agreement signed last week by the Afghan and US President.
Ludin said that Zuhrawand had been warned to not repeat such statements in the future describing them as "undiplomatic".
"None of our neighboring countries have the right to be concerned about Afghanistan's agreements with another country," Ludin told MPs in Kabul Wednesday.
"We have completed our responsibility toward our neighbors on the agreement, including Iran. The Iranian ambassador should not repeat these undiplomatic statements again."
Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Iranian Embassy counselor Mohammad Kazim Naimi to respond to questions about such the statements yesterday, according to a statement from Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Lodin declined to provide further details on this meeting.
Zuhrawand's request has compounded comments made after Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast on Sunday that Iran was concerned the strategic pact may destabilise the region, and he called for foreign troops to withdraw from the country as soon as possible.
Ludin dismissed that the pact posed a threat against any of the neighboring countries, saying that Afghanistan would not be used as a launching pad for military force against other countries.
Meanwhile, the Afghan Minister of Defense, Minister of Interior and Minister of Finance also appeared before parliament Wednesday to provide details about their activities and plans for the upcoming Chicago summit.
Minister of Interior Bismillah Mohammadi said that if foreign interventions continue and security does not improve, any kind of troop drawdown could be dangerous.
He stressed that although the international community has agreed not to decrease the number of Afghan troops until some years after 2014, the Chicago summit will finalize the plan. But he felt it could be risky.
"If insurgents continue their attacks and peace negotiations fail and foreign countries continue intervention, any Afghan troops drawdown could be disastrous," Mohammadi told the MPs.
Minister of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak said that international community has tentatively committed to providing $4.1 billion per year to train and equip Afghan security forces, saying that the role of NATO forces after 2014 would move into an advisory and training role but this would be further determined at the Chicago summit.
"NATO is doing three things: advisory, training and assisting Afghan forces, but the extent of their capacity building and combat roles have not been determined yet," Wardak said.
Minister of Finance Hazrat Omer Zakhilwal told the MPs that Afghanistan will contribute $500 million a year towards funding the Afghan security forces.
Nato's Chicago summit will be held later this month to determine the drawdown of international troops from its mission in Afghanistan, and the ongoing support of towards security and development after 2014. (Tolo News)