BISHKEK, May 14. /TASS/. Russia considers the return of third-country military infrastructure to Afghanistan or the deployment of new military facilities in neighboring states unacceptable, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu said at the 21st meeting of the secretaries of relevant agencies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states.

"Our fundamental approach is that the United States and its allies must acknowledge full responsibility for their 20-year presence in Afghanistan and assume the main burden of its post-conflict reconstruction," Shoigu emphasized. "We consider the return of third-country military infrastructure to Afghanistan or the deployment of new military facilities in neighboring states unacceptable."

Russia "recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in July 2025 and established a pragmatic dialogue with the Taliban." "We are consistently establishing a full-fledged partnership - from political and security contacts to trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation," Shoigu noted. "We are convinced that cooperation with Kabul meets the objectives of the region's security and economic development. We believe it is essential to agree on modalities for resuming the activities of the SCO-Afghanistan contact group, as well as expanding cooperation within the framework of regional initiatives, including the Moscow format."