BRUSSELS (SW): Foreign Ministers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance gathered in Brussels on Monday for a two-day meeting aimed at reiterating support for the members and allies.
The meeting is devoted to preparations for the NATO summit in Warsaw scheduled for July 8-9.
The alliance would hold particular meetings on situation in Georgia and Ukraine.
On 20 May, the foreign ministers will meet with their Resolute Support partners and the Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani about situation in Afghanistan.
Matters about future support for Afghanistan in line with the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) beyond 2016 would be at the heart of the meeting.
Khairullah Azad, deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Salam Watandar that ensuring support for the ANSF up till 2020 is the core of these talks in Brussels. He added that the meeting would chalk-out agenda for the forthcoming NATO Summit in Warsaw in two months.
He noted that the meeting provides a good opportunity to share the achievements and challenges faced by the ANSF with the donor and allied nations.
Analysts believe Afghanistan should present a strong case to attract sustainable support for the security sector.
Lateef Nazari, an expert on political affairs, said in this regard that the meeting in Brussels provide an excellent platform for countries like Afghanistan to expose the foreign meddling in its affairs.
He however, lamented that Afghanistan’s diplomacy remains weak in attracting world’s attention towards this matter.
Salam Watandar’s correspondent in Brussels has reported that the NATO allies would also deliberate on the stay of their forces in Afghanistan. NATO has promised to reiterate sustainable support for the ANSF and political backing of the Afghan government in this meeting.
President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani would join the NATO leaders in the forthcoming Summit to be held in Warsaw, Poland in July.
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