Pakistan, China, Iran, and Russia – which are all regional powers – have expressed their opposition to American President Donald Trump’s proposal to reclaim the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, arguing it’s a danger to peace and stability in the region.
The remarks came in a joint statement issued after the latest Moscow Format meeting on Afghanistan, attended by representatives from 10 countries, including the Central Asian republics and, for the first time, the Taliban’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Without naming the United States directly, the statement declared that the participating nations “called unacceptable the attempts by countries to deploy their military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighboring states,” emphasizing that such moves “do not serve the interests of regional peace and stability.”
At a post-summit press conference, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi reaffirmed Kabul’s stance against any foreign military presence.
“Afghanistan is a free and independent country … it has never accepted the military presence of foreigners,” Muttaqi said. “Our policy will remain the same — to keep Afghanistan free and independent.”
The Bagram Air Base, located near Kabul, was once the largest U.S. military installation in Afghanistan before the American withdrawal in 2021, when the Taliban retook control of the country.
Last month, President Donald Trump said “bad things” would happen to Afghanistan if it did not hand over Bagram, citing its strategic position near China.
However, current and former U.S. officials have dismissed the feasibility of such a plan, warning that reoccupying Bagram could resemble a full-scale re-invasion, requiring over 10,000 troops and extensive air defense systems. news
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