NATO Allies and partners reaffirmed their firm support to Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad’s continued efforts towards lasting peace in Afghanistan
The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, at NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (5 June 2019). Ambassador Khalilzad also briefed all 41 NATO Allies and Resolute Support Mission operational partners on his latest efforts in support for peace in Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan remains NATO’s highest operational priority, and together with our operational partners, we remain committed to our goal of ensuring Afghanistan never again becomes a platform to export terrorism,” said the Secretary General. “Ambassador Khalilzad has created a genuine platform for peace discussions, and this issue is now high up on the agenda of all Afghan political players and Afghan people in general,” he added.
“It is in the interest of our Afghan friends and in the interest of us all that these peace talks succeed. One essential condition for this success is that we are all on the same page and that we all push in the same direction to secure peace,” said Mr. Stoltenberg. He stressed that the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission helps create the conditions for peace, with training and funding for the Afghan security forces.
This was Ambassador Khalilzad’s fifth visit to NATO Headquarters since 2018, part of his continued consultations with NATO Allies and Resolute Support Mission operational partners on the Afghan peace process.
ENDS
