MOSCOW, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Russia expected explanations from the United States about its plans to set up military bases in Afghanistan after 2014.
"There is some contradiction we would like to clarify," Lavrov told a news briefing here.
Lavrov admitted that although judicially the issue only concerned the U.S. and the Afghan governments, "in a wider political sense, one should take into account the interests of the states in this troubled region, which are directly affected by what is going on in Afghanistan."
"It is important for us to understand how the (U.S.) troops withdrawal and the creation of the military bases correspond, if it was announced that the U.S. military objectives will be reached by 2014," Lavrov said.
He said Russia will discuss the issues in an open way with both Afghanistan and the United States.
Last weekend, the Afghan traditional grand assembly approved an agreement with Washington on strategic partnership, which gave a green light for U.S. bases in the country until 2024.