KABUL (Pajhwok): Uzbekistan has ruled out hosting foreign military bases on its soil, rejecting reports that the US troops withdrawing from Afghanistan may be deployed to the Central Asian nation.
Asked about the reported US plan, a spokesperson for the Defence Ministry in Tashkent said on Monday: “Fundamental documents in the field of defence have clear-cut answers to these questions.”
Sputnik quoted the spokesperson as warning against hosting foreign military bases and facilities on Uzbekistan’s soil.
Uzbekistan’s defence policy was based on the principle of non-participation in peacekeeping operations and military conflicts abroad, the official explained.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal cited military officials as saying the US would “prefer” to redeploy troops and equipment leaving Afghanistan into Uzbekistan or Tajikistan.
In line with President Joe Biden’s announcement, US troops will complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11.
https://pajhwok.com/2021/05/11/wont...kistan/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan ruled out Tuesday the possibility of again providing its military bases to the United States for future counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan after U.S. troops leave the conflict-torn neighbor by September 11.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made the remarks to reporters in Islamabad, explaining that his government has adopted a policy that allows it to become "only partners in peace” and not join any future U.S. war.
“No sir, we do not intend to allow boots on the ground and no [U.S.] bases are being transferred to Pakistan,” Qureshi said when asked whether his government is under pressure to give military bases to the U.S.
President Joe Biden’s administration has acknowledged it is in talks with several Central Asian neighbors of Afghanistan to examine where it can reposition troops to prevent the landlocked country from once again becoming a terrorist base for groups like al-Qaida.
But U.S. officials have not named Pakistan, which shares a nearly 2,600-kilometers border with Afghanistan, nor have they commented on media speculation that the subject of bases might be under bilateral discussions.
Qureshi noted that Pakistan has also been consistently using its leverage over the Taliban, who have been waging a deadly insurgency against the U.S.-backed Afghan government, to encourage them to stop their violent campaign and negotiate a political settlement with Afghan rivals.
The foreign minister said “we feel” the Taliban’s engagement in the Afghan peace process would bring and enhance the “international respectability and recognition” that the group required.
“If they want to be acceptable, if they want delisting to take place, if they want recognition then engagement, giving up violence and looking for a political solution is in their political interest,” he said.
Qureshi referred to the Taliban's demand for the United Nations and the U.S. to delist top insurgent leaders from their sanctions lists.
https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/pakistan-no-more-military-bases-us-afghan-mission
Asked about the reported US plan, a spokesperson for the Defence Ministry in Tashkent said on Monday: “Fundamental documents in the field of defence have clear-cut answers to these questions.”
Sputnik quoted the spokesperson as warning against hosting foreign military bases and facilities on Uzbekistan’s soil.
Uzbekistan’s defence policy was based on the principle of non-participation in peacekeeping operations and military conflicts abroad, the official explained.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal cited military officials as saying the US would “prefer” to redeploy troops and equipment leaving Afghanistan into Uzbekistan or Tajikistan.
In line with President Joe Biden’s announcement, US troops will complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11.
https://pajhwok.com/2021/05/11/wont...kistan/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan ruled out Tuesday the possibility of again providing its military bases to the United States for future counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan after U.S. troops leave the conflict-torn neighbor by September 11.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi made the remarks to reporters in Islamabad, explaining that his government has adopted a policy that allows it to become "only partners in peace” and not join any future U.S. war.
“No sir, we do not intend to allow boots on the ground and no [U.S.] bases are being transferred to Pakistan,” Qureshi said when asked whether his government is under pressure to give military bases to the U.S.
President Joe Biden’s administration has acknowledged it is in talks with several Central Asian neighbors of Afghanistan to examine where it can reposition troops to prevent the landlocked country from once again becoming a terrorist base for groups like al-Qaida.
But U.S. officials have not named Pakistan, which shares a nearly 2,600-kilometers border with Afghanistan, nor have they commented on media speculation that the subject of bases might be under bilateral discussions.
Qureshi noted that Pakistan has also been consistently using its leverage over the Taliban, who have been waging a deadly insurgency against the U.S.-backed Afghan government, to encourage them to stop their violent campaign and negotiate a political settlement with Afghan rivals.
The foreign minister said “we feel” the Taliban’s engagement in the Afghan peace process would bring and enhance the “international respectability and recognition” that the group required.
“If they want to be acceptable, if they want delisting to take place, if they want recognition then engagement, giving up violence and looking for a political solution is in their political interest,” he said.
Qureshi referred to the Taliban's demand for the United Nations and the U.S. to delist top insurgent leaders from their sanctions lists.
https://www.voanews.com/south-central-asia/pakistan-no-more-military-bases-us-afghan-mission
