Iran summons caretaker of Afghan embassy over disrespectful act
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the acting head of Afghanistan’s embassy in Tehran following a disrespectful act by a Taliban representative during the playing of Iran's national anthem.
On Thursday, the Afghan representative to the 38th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran remained seated when the Iranian national anthem was played.
An official with the South Asia Department of the Foreign Ministry summoned the caretaker of Afghanistan’s embassy on Friday to strongly protest the action, ISNA reported.
“Apart from the obvious necessity of the guests to respect the symbols of the host country, paying respect to the national anthem of countries is an internationally recognized behavior. Additionally, the Afghan representative’s act isn’t proportional to the supreme objectives of the participation in the Islamic Unity Conference,” the Iranian official said.
The caretaker of Afghanistan’s embassy said his country has special respect for the Islamic Republic, noting that its representative’s act was a “personal” one and didn’t express the views of his country.
He added that he would immediately inform the authorities in Kabul about Iran’s protest.
The Taliban official who participated in the conference published a video message on Friday in which he stressed his full respect for the Islamic Republic and emphasized the importance of Tehran-Kabul ties.
He said "he did not intend to be disrespectful in any way."
The 38th International Islamic Unity Conference opened in Tehran on Thursday, with more than 144 Shia and Sunni scholars from 36 countries attending.
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