Interfax
February 6, 2014
Moscow expects Afghanistan to return to neutral status after intl forces pull out – Russian diplomat
MOSCOW: Moscow expects that, after the international community has completed its efforts to improve stability in Afghanistan, the foreign military bases and troops will be withdrawn from this country and it will return to its traditional neutral status, Russian Ambassador to Kabul Andrei Avetisian said.
“As concerns the presence of foreign military bases in Afghanistan, we presume that, when international efforts aimed at improving stability in Afghanistan and its national security forces have been completed, all military bases and foreign troops will be withdrawn from this country and it will return to its traditional neutral status,” Avetisian said in an interview with Interfax.
At the same time, the diplomat said Afghanistan will need international assistance for some time to help it improve its army and police, he said.
“If international military presence is aimed at attaining these goals, this will help strengthen Afghan security forces,” he added.
In commenting on reports that the signature of a U.S.-Afghan bilateral agreement on military cooperation, under which U.S. military bases will stay in the country past 2014, is jeopardized because of disagreements between Kabul and Washington, Avetisian said this is a matter of U.S.-Afghan bilateral relations.
If the said U.S.-Afghan agreement is signed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai, this would enable the U.S. to deploy up to 10,000 servicemen at nine military bases in the country.
However, after the Afghan parliament approved the document, Karzai put forward a number of preconditions for signing it. Washington said in reply that, if the agreement is not signed, the U.S. will start planning the full withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan.
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