Lavrov backs Kabul government and rejects NATO military infrastructure in Afghanistan

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has voiced support for the government in Kabul while criticising any renewed deployment of NATO military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries.

Lavrov made the remarks at a meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan. He said he believed Kabul was governing the country quite successfully, although the source did not provide further details about the government or specify the date and location of the meeting.

Opposition to NATO infrastructure

Lavrov said the deployment of NATO military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries would be unacceptable under any pretext.

“I’d like to emphasise again the categorical unacceptability of the deployment of the NATO military infrastructure in territory of Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries under any pretext,” he said.

He linked his opposition to what he described as the record of NATO’s presence in the region. According to Lavrov, historical experience showed that such a presence was associated with destabilisation and an increase in conflict.

“As historical experience shows, this presence is fraught with destabilisation and the growth of conflict. We haven’t seen other results of such presence over the past decades,” Lavrov said.

Counterterrorism cooperation

Lavrov also referred to security operations by Afghan forces. He said Afghan security forces were fighting groups he described as terrorist groups and that scores of militants had been killed.

The foreign minister did not give a figure for the number of militants allegedly killed. The source also did not identify the groups involved or provide independent confirmation of the statements.

Lavrov said Moscow was interested in bolstering Afghanistan’s counterterrorism measures. He did not provide details of any specific Russian support or outline a new assistance programme.

The meeting formed part of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, while the broader statements focused on Kabul’s governance, regional security and opposition to NATO military infrastructure in Afghanistan and nearby countries.