MONITORING (SW) – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said the Alliance is in pursuit of peace deal, and not a withdrawal agreement from Afghanistan.
He said the Alliance will stay in Afghanistan for as long as necessary, to ensure the country never again becomes a safe haven for international terrorists.
Addressing a press conference at the NATO headquarters, Stoltenberg said challenges remain in Afghanistan, but a platform for peace is available now. He said now is a unique opportunity for peace in Afghanistan and NATO strongly supports efforts to reach a deal. "Message to Taliban is that they will not win in the battlefield. Taliban has not been able to take provincial capitals recently, we are ready to stay and continue support Afghan government and security forces”, he said.
NATO Defence Ministers wrapped up two days of discussions in Brussels on Thursday (27 June 2019). Ministers addressed Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, progress on burden sharing, NATO’s defence and deterrence posture, new technologies and NATO’s mission in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan was also high on the agenda, with a meeting of all nations contributing to NATO’s Resolute Support Mission and with participation from the United Nations, European Union, World Bank, and Afghan Defence Minister Asadullah Khalid. “While many challenges remain in Afghanistan, we now have a unique opportunity for peace,” said the Secretary General.
He underlined that Allies fully support U.S. efforts to achieve a political settlement in Afghanistan. Mr. Stoltenberg also announced that Allies have recently generated forces for the next rotation, and confirmed financial support for the Afghan security forces through 2024. “We will stay in Afghanistan for as long as necessary, to ensure the country never again becomes a safe haven for international terrorists,” he said.
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