MOSCOW (Reuters), – Russia’s highest diplomat warned Afghanistan’s neighbors Wednesday not to host NATO or U.S. military forces after their withdrawal.

While the Kremlin is concerned about the possibility of Islamist militants spreading into Central Asia via Afghanistan, it reacts with horror at the thought of the West getting a foothold within a former Soviet Union region.

Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, stated that Afghanistan’s neighboring nations should not allow the military presence of U.S. or NATO forces.

In a videolink speech, the diplomat said these remarks at an Afghanistan conference in Tehran attended by China Iran Pakistan Tajikistan Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and China.

Lavrov stated that it is important to control and curb migration from Afghanistan. He also said that terrorist and criminal elements had already tried to cross into Afghanistan’s neighboring countries disguised as refugees.

Moscow views the ex Soviet region as its southern defensive front, however, the Kommersant reports that Vladimir Putin made a proposal to Washington in June for the use of Russian military bases located in Central Asia.

Russia has its biggest foreign base located in Tajikistan. It has an extensive border with Afghanistan and has increased its troop presence and military hardware since the Taliban overthrow.