The speech shocked many listeners since it is not in keeping with diplomatic norms to speak publicly about relations among other named countries.
Addressing a regional conference on Afghanistan, Ahmadi-nejad called for the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops from the country and said NATO should use part of its military budget to help revive the Afghan economy.
“NATO and the United States should change their policy because the time when they dictate their conditions to the world has passed,” Ahmadi-nejad said in Dushanbe.
“It’s better to respect nations than to scare them and colonize them. The time of imperialism has long gone. Those who do not learn from the mistakes of history will be punished.”
The US delegation to the conference, headed by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake, left the hall when Ahmadi-nejad began to speak and returned after the conclusion of his speech.
Ahmadi-nejad said NATO policy in Afghanistan and other countries would make Western relations with Pakistan worse.
“Relations between NATO and Pakistan—their unsteadiness and instability will only grow,” he said. “The main reason for the difficulties in the world is the policy of NATO member countries, undertaken with the aim of reviving colonialism.”
Ahmadi-nejad said he believed Afghanistan was capable of running its own affairs, without the presence of foreign troops.
Calling for the immediate withdrawal of foreign troops, Ahmadi-nejad said: “The entire problem lies with NATO and with the policies of NATO members, most of all the United States, which entered Afghanistan under the guise of the war on terrorism and under the same banner is now surrounding India, Russia and China.”