Taliban govt welcomes Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan’s stance against foreign military bases in Afghanistan
According to a report by Dawn… The Afghan government has welcomed the position taken by Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan against the establishment of foreign military base in Afghanistan, Afghan government deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said on Saturday.
His statement, shared with journalists, came days after foreign ministers of the four countries held a meeting on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. A joint statement was issued after the quadripartite consultation, which is being held since 2017 and is aimed at promoting regional stability and coordinating efforts to counter terrorism, narcotics, and extremism emanating from Afghan territory.
The joint statement, also shared by Pakistan’s Foreign Office on X, said: “The four sides emphasised that the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan should be respected, firmly opposed the re-establishment of military bases in and around Afghanistan by the countries responsible for the current situation, which is not conducive to regional peace and security.”
While the joint statement did not refer to any specific country seeking bases in Afghanistan, it follows one by US President Donald Trump where he said Washington was trying to get Bagram air base in Afghanistan back.
Bagram Air Base served as the linchpin for US operations in the rugged country, where the long war against the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies was fought with air strikes and resupply missions from the airfield. In July 2021, all US and Nato troops left Afghanistan’s biggest air base, signalling the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from the country after two decades of war.
After his initial statement about Bagram in the United Kingdom, Trump had threatened Afghanistan last with unspecified consequences if it refused to give the control of the Bagram air base to the US.
For their part, the Taliban government in Afghanistan rejected his demand.
‘Want positive ties with all’
In their joint statement, Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan also urged the Taliban rulers to take “effective, concrete and verifiable actions in fulfilling the international obligations and commitments made by Afghanistan to fight terrorism, and dismantle, and eliminate all terrorist groups, and to prevent recruitment, fundraising and their access to weapons, as well as their collaboration with foreign terrorist fighters”.
The four countries further urged the Afghan authorities to dismantle any terrorist training camps or any other terrorist infrastructure on their soil.
Moreover, their joint statement said: “The four sides expressed deep concern over the security situation related to terrorism in Afghanistan, noting that terrorist groups such as ISIL, Al Qaeda, the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jaish ul Adl, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and other similar groups in the region including Majeed Brigade, as well as others, based in Afghanistan, continue to pose a serious threat to regional and global security.
“They emphasised that strengthening peace and stability in Afghanistan and countering the threats of terrorism, radicalism, and drug crime emanating from its territory are in line with their common interests in the region.”
To this end, Fitrat clarified that Afghanistan’s territory would not be allowed to be used against any country and nor were any armed groups allowed to operate in the country.
He termed the idea of “Afghanistan posing any threat to other countries baseless”.
“Afghanistan is taking serious steps against corruption, drugs and all kinds of undesirable issues and considers this process its responsibility,” he said, stressing that the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants to establish positive relations with all countries on the basis of mutual respect”.
Fitrat said “prioritising relations with regional and international countries in the context of security, stability and development in Afghanistan” was a “realistic” approach.
The Afghan government deputy spokesperson asserted that Kabul’s policy was “based on mutual trust, positive contacts and promotion of friendly relations and any false concerns or baseless allegations regarding Afghanistan are strongly rejected”.
JI delegation meets Afghan FM
Separately, a delegation of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) from Pakistan, led by JI Deputy Ameer Professor Muhammad Ibrahim, met with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during a visit to Afghanistan, according to a statement issued by the party.
The delegation included JI Deputy Ameer in Balochistan Dr Atta-ur-Rehman, JI Ameer in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North Inayatullah Khan, JI Ameer in KP Central Abdul Wasi, and Dr Muhammad Iqbal Khalil, the statement said.
Muttaqi also posted about the meeting on X. According to a translator of his post, Pakistan-Afghanistan relations were discussed during the conversation.
complete report is on below link. Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1945183/taliban-govt-welcomes-russia-china-iran-and-pakistans-stance-against-foreign-military-bases-in-afghanistan
