The Taliban reject foreign military bases in their country.

Following the “7th Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan” on Tuesday, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi announced that the Taliban government would not allow any foreign military bases on its territory.

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“The Afghan minister firmly declared that Afghanistan and its government will not permit the deployment of any foreign bases in its territory. This includes the Bagram base,” Russian Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said and pointed out that the Russian side also ruled out sending troops to the country.

“Absolutely out of the question. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed his categorical opposition to the deployment of military bases both in Afghanistan and in neighboring countries,” Kabulov said, adding that “Russia has no such plans or intentions” to establish a military base.

Recently, former U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Afghan authorities with serious consequences if they refused to hand over the Bagram air base.

This base was occupied for 20 years by U.S. forces after the war to expel the Taliban and the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks. In 2021, however, the Bagram base was abandoned by the U.S. military itself. It was later looted before Afghan forces took control.

On Tuesday, Minister Muttaqi also accused certain countries of threatening regional stability by harboring Islamic State (IS) fighters.

“Our intelligence services show that recently the Islamic State and other groups have established training and equipment centers in countries in the region, which is a matter of serious concern for the Afghan government,” he said.

Muttaqi urged neighboring governments to take responsibility for their own security challenges rather than blaming Afghanistan, asserting that “all factors of insecurity have been eliminated” within the country since the Taliban came to power in 2021.

The Afghan diplomat also praised Russia’s role, noting that Moscow had invited Afghanistan as an official member of the forum for the first time—a move he described as “a courageous act” recognizing the Islamic Emirate.

“We thank the Russian Federation for this bold step and hope that other countries will follow its example to move toward practical cooperation with Afghanistan,” he said.

As part of the Taliban regime’s broader strategy to consolidate international legitimacy, Muttaqi said his government seeks “balanced economic, political, and diplomatic relations” with countries in the region.

Muttaqi acknowledged that drug trafficking remains a public health issue in Afghanistan but claimed that drug cultivation and production within the country have been drastically reduced. He added that drug-related activities “have increased in neighboring countries and should be independently investigated.”

In his closing remarks, Muttaqi criticized the international community’s failure to stop the violence in Gaza, saying the situation “has cast doubt on the credibility of the United Nations and the entire human rights system.”

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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