Afghanistan free and sovereign, will not accept foreign military presence: Muttaqi

The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Tuesday at the seventh Moscow Format meeting that Afghanistan is a free and independent country and has never accepted any kind of foreign military presence throughout its history.

Speaking at the meeting, Muttaqi stated: “Afghanistan is a free and independent country, and throughout history, it has never accepted the presence of foreign military forces, and this remains our decision and policy. We seek economic, political, and diplomatic relations with all countries in the region and the world.”

Muttaqi added that a foreign military presence is not acceptable to the people of Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate, or the region.

He also expressed appreciation for what he called Russia’s “bold” move in recognizing the Islamic Emirate government and accepting Afghanistan as an official member of the Moscow Format.

He expressed hope that all countries would recognize the Islamic Emirate.

At the meeting, he described all countries’ views on Afghanistan as “very positive” and said there was consensus on how to cooperate with Afghanistan.

The Foreign Minister added that over the past four years, IEA has proven that Afghanistan is united and has a “successful” government, and that during these four years, no unfortunate incident has occurred that would pose a threat to countries in the region or beyond.

Muttaqi emphasized that currently no narcotics are being cultivated in Afghanistan and that there are no irresponsible groups in the country, including Daesh.

He said: “We want to work together with regional countries so that, just as narcotics cultivation has stopped in Afghanistan, it will also stop in other countries, and that we cooperate jointly against Daesh and other threats.”