Lavrov Warns Foreign Military Presence in Afghanistan Poses Regional Risks
Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, warned during the seventh round of the “Moscow Format” meeting that any deployment of military infrastructure by extra-regional countries in Afghanistan or its neighboring states could ignite new conflicts.
He emphasized Russia’s position, stating that the military presence of external actors in the region— even under humanitarian or counter-terrorism pretexts—is unacceptable to Russia and constitutes a threat to regional stability.
The “Moscow Format” meeting, held on Tuesday, October 6, in Moscow, hosted representatives from China, Iran, Pakistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and also the Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister. The main agenda of this gathering was to review Afghanistan’s security and political situation and to discuss regional approaches to address its challenges.
Experts interpret the Russian Foreign Minister’s remarks as a response to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent claims about retaking the Bagram Air Base.
