ANATALYA (SW): The western military alliance NATO on Wednesday announced to maintain its presence in Afghanistan beyond the end of current mission of training and supporting the security forces of this war-torn country.
Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary-General told this to journalist after the alliance’s foreign ministers meeting in Turkey's southern province of Antalya.
The current mission, known as "Resolute Support," is a NATO-led, non-combat mission. It was launched on January 1, following the conclusion of the previous NATO-led International Security Assistance Force mission.
ISAF was established by UN Security Council resolution in 2001 in the wake of the US invasion of the country to provide security and fight the Taliban
"Today we agreed that we will maintain a presence in Afghanistan even after the end of our current mission," he said.
"Enduring Partnership" is a project that NATO will launch later on, Stoltenberg said. "We have not yet defined all the concerete content of 'Enduring Partnership.'"
"It is going to be a civilian-led partneship. That is something new. Because the ISAF mission and the present "Resolute Support" mission is military led. It is led by a military commander," he said.
He urged Taliban to cutt-off ties with international terrorists, respect the Afghan constitution and acknowledge women's rights.
“Afghanistan still remains a dangerous place,” Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg said NATO offices had been tasked with working out a plan of the new mission by the autumn.
The meeting also discussed situation in Ukraine the threats posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ISIS.
