Russia is against the abandonment of the US military base in Afghanistan after 2014
As is known, in 2014, the anti-terrorist coalition of NATO countries will withdraw troops from this state. According to Robert Blake, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, the United States of America, on the contrary, is negotiating with the government of Afghanistan about the possibility of establishing a military base in the territory of the state of Afghanistan.
According to the Interfax commentary, Robert Blake repeatedly pointed out that the plans of the United States lack the task of planning the opening of new bases in the countries of Central Asia.
An assistant secretary of state visited Tajikistan, following in the United States from Kyrgyzstan, to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Almazbek Atambayev. Earlier, Blake met in Ashgabat with Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the president of Turkmenistan.
At a meeting with Tajikistan’s leader Emomali Rahmon, the United States asked whether the United States should establish military bases in Afghanistan: “Washington is currently negotiating with the Afghan government about our military presence in Afghanistan after the security operation is completed.”
In a conversation with the leaders of these countries, Robert Blake especially emphasized the fact that the Pentagon does not have the prospect of a long-term presence of US troops or bases in Central Asia.
For reference: The 201-I military base of Russia with 7000 military personnel is deployed in Tajikistan. This land military base of Russia is the largest outside the country.
Speculation on the topic of the new US military base in Central Asia gave rise to a statement by the new leadership of the Kyrgyz Republic that Kyrgyzstan is not going to extend the mandate of the US military air base in the country, which aims to support NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Russia has a very negative attitude towards this perspective. Zamir Kabulov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Afghanistan, expressed a lack of understanding: “The absurdity of the situation is that, following the policy of reducing the size of the US Army, Washington is simultaneously strengthening its military infrastructure in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, which includes bases ... This issue directly affects the interests of many states located around the Republic of Afghanistan, including Russia, and requires serious discussion. ”
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