New Delhi: As US President Donald Trump renewed his call to take control of Afghanistan’s Bagram air base, the Russia-led regional platform that includes India reiterated on Tuesday (October 7) that any attempt to deploy “military infrastructure” in the country would be “unacceptable”.The statement was part of a joint declaration issued after the seventh meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan, held in the Russian capital on Tuesday.India was represented by its ambassador to Russia, Vinay Kumar, at the session chaired by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.For the first time, Afghan Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi participated as an official member of the format. Until now, Taliban representatives had attended only as observers, but Russia signalled a shift by extending diplomatic recognition earlier this year.The Afghan foreign minister will travel to India directly from Moscow for the first ever bilateral high-level visit to India since the Taliban took over in 2021.Besides Russia and India, senior officials from Pakistan, Iran and the five Central Asian republics also took part in the meeting.The joint statement said the grouping “called unacceptable the attempts by countries to deploy their military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighbouring states, since this does not serve the interests of regional peace and stability”.While there was similar language in last year’s joint statement as well, the grouping’s words this time have received more attention against the backdrop of Trump’s call for the Bagram Air Base near Kabul to be brought back under American control.Signed between the US and the Taliban in February 2020, the Doha deal committed Washington to withdraw all foreign forces from Afghanistan and refrain from using or threatening force against the country’s territorial integrity.The Taliban have repeatedly cited that clause to assert that any attempt by the US to re-establish a military foothold, whether at Bagram or elsewhere, would amount to a breach of the agreement.Trump, who had overseen the original deal during his first term in office, recently said that the US was “trying to get back” Bagram because of its strategic location near China, warning that “bad things are going to happen” if Afghanistan did not return the base.He claimed that he had planned to retain control of Bagram even after the withdrawal of troops, describing its loss as a major mistake that weakened America’s regional position.The Taliban have firmly rejected Trump’s comments. Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that Afghanistan would “never allow their land to be handed over to anyone under any condition”, dismissing any possibility of US re-entry into Bagram.At the Moscow meeting, the participating countries reaffirmed their “unwavering support for the establishment of Afghanistan as an independent, united and peaceful state”.They also underlined the importance of regional cooperation for Afghanistan’s long-term stability, calling for expanded economic, trade and investment ties to help the country achieve “independent and sustainable development”.The statement highlighted support for integrating Afghanistan into regional connectivity frameworks and for developing projects in healthcare, agriculture, poverty alleviation and disaster prevention.The group urged the international community to increase humanitarian aid while rejecting the “politicisation” of such assistance. It also called for stronger regional counter-terrorism cooperation, stating that Afghanistan should be supported in taking “comprehensive measures aimed at the elimination of terrorism” so that its territory is not used to threaten neighbours.The participants further urged the “countries mainly responsible for the current predicament in Afghanistan” to fulfil their commitments toward its economic recovery and future development.