The appearance of military bases or other US military facilities on the territory of the CSTO countries, according to the agreement, would require coordination within the organization, and no one has applied for this, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Monday.
"All questions concerning the presence of foreign military personnel on the territory of any CSTO member are subject, according to the charter, to coordination within this framework. - <...> It is indicative that none of these countries has applied to the CSTO for a consultation," he said.
In addition, the minister pointed out that this is also somewhat at odds with pragmatic considerations. "The American leadership in the Pentagon says they would like to be able to position their resources around Afghanistan in order to be able to strike Afghan territory if necessary. I don't think it's in anybody's interest to make themselves hostage to that policy and the intentions of the United States by causing a retaliatory strike," he continued.
"And most importantly, of course, it's a question for the Americans. If they, with a hundred thousand troops at one point, have been able to do nothing for 20 years while inside the country, what results are they going to achieve with a substantially smaller presence outside of its territory. I think the answer is pretty clear, there's probably a desire to just establish a military presence in the region and have an impact on the situation here. I think everyone understands this and will proceed from the obligations that exist within the framework of various international structures," Lavrov concluded.
New military facilities in Central Asia
The emergence of new military facilities in Central Asia diverges from the security interests of the region, Lavrov said.
"I don't think the security interests would be served by the appearance of new US military facilities in Central Asia," he said, commenting on The Wall Street Journal's reports that the United States may move troops from Afghanistan to Central Asian countries.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS