On Thursday March 7, 2019, the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies, on occasion of the 162th anniversary of Paris treaty, hosted a roundtable.

This event was attended by some government officials, political activists, academia, university professors, students, civil society activists and media representatives.

The Paris Treaty was signed in 1875 between Britain and Iran, and according to the treaty, Herat was separated from Iran and joined with Afghanistan.

The panelists at today’s roundtable were, Mr. Sultan Ahmad Aria and Mahmood Jami, the university professors and this panel was moderated by Mr. Wahid Marzban, head of the State Department's Foreign Relations Department.

The first panelist of this program, Mr. Mahmood Jami, reviewed the historical situation of the Paris treaty and the role of the stakeholders’ powers in the signing of this treaty, also he had a short reference to the historical dimension of the issue.

Subsequently, Sultan Ahmad Aria, with a general look at Paris treaty, dedicated on Herat’s strategic position in this treaty and said that Britain saw the land of Iran and its southern ports as a way to reach India and China, and the Russians saw Iran as the only way to reach the free seas, so Herat, as the passage of power crossing to achieve its goals, has been strategic importance.

This event was ended by Q&A session.