MADRID Jan. 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Iranian authorities have expressed this Friday a “strong protest” against the project launched by the Taliban Government of Afghanistan for the construction of a dam on the Hari Rud River, considering that it will considerably reduce the flow of water towards Iran.
The country’s Foreign Ministry has indicated that the project could be a violation of existing bilateral treaties between the two countries, whose relations have been affected over the years by disputes over rights to hydrological resources.
The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei, said in a statement that there is “great concern about the disproportionate restrictions on water entering Iran due to the Pachdan dam project” and that these concerns have been “transferred to the Afghan authorities.” relevant”.
“The exploitation of resources cannot go ahead without respecting Iran’s rights, taking into account bilateral treaties,” he stated, although the Taliban have defended that the project is “about to be completed”, so “water is being stored.”
The dam is located in the province of Herat and will store 54 million cubic meters of water. The authorities emphasize that the dam will be “vital and strategic” for the province.
Baqaei has stated that Iran expects Afghanistan’s cooperation to “remove the obstacles created” as soon as possible. In May 2023, Iran submitted a note of protest to Afghanistan over another project to build a dam on the Helmand River.
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