KABUL, Afghanistan — Alireza Bigdeli, Iran’s newly appointed head of its diplomatic mission in Afghanistan, has arrived in Kabul to assume his duties, Iranian media reported.
Bigdeli, a diplomat with prior service as Iran’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Cyprus, was appointed to the post by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on November 24. He succeeds Hassan Kazemi Qomi, who continues to serve as Iran’s special envoy to Afghanistan.
The Iranian state-run IRNA news agency reported that Bigdeli was welcomed by senior Afghan officials upon his arrival on Saturday.
Meanwhile, another Iranian state news agency, ISNA, reported that during his speech in Kabul, Alireza Bigdeli called on “undocumented Afghan migrants” in Iran to return to Afghanistan.
“We welcome legal migrants who have entered Iran through proper channels,” Bigdeli said. “However, we request those who entered Iran illegally to return to their country and pursue legal avenues for their travel.”
Bigdeli also pledged to work on improving facilities and processes to ease travel between the two neighboring countries. His appointment is part of routine changes in Iran’s diplomatic and consular missions, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei.
Iran is among the few nations to maintain diplomatic ties with Afghanistan under Taliban rule, accepting the Taliban’s envoy in Tehran as the chargé d’affaires. However, like the broader international community, Iran has yet to officially recognize the Taliban government.
