These four sovereign states Reject the U.S. Return to Afghanistan

China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan Reject U.S. Return to Afghanistan

China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan have jointly opposed any attempt to reestablish foreign military bases in Afghanistan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Friday.

The statement follows reports that U.S. President Donald Trump asked the Taliban’s government to hand Bagram Air Base back to the Pentagon.

According to spokesman Guo Jiakun, foreign ministers and envoys from the four nations met informally on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly session in New York. Their joint declaration reaffirmed respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty and “firm opposition to the re-establishment of military bases by those responsible for the country’s current crisis.”

The meeting included Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, Iran’s Seyed Abbas Araghchi, China’s envoy Yue Xiaoyong, and Pakistan’s senior diplomat Umer Siddique.