KABUL (SW) – The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday the alliance stands with Afghanistan and in the fight against international terrorism.
At a joint presser with the Afghan president, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, he said the NATO forces’ stay in Afghanistan is not time-bound, but linked to the security situation and elimination of threats of terrorism.
“NATO is determined to see Afghanistan succeed. That’s why around 16,000 troops from 39 different countries serve in our Resolute Support Mission. Together, we train, advise and assist the Afghan forces as they work to make this country safer and more secure. And prevent it from ever again becoming a safe haven for international terrorism”, he said.
President Ghani welcomed the efforts of U.S. Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, for peaceful solution to the conflict. “Last night, I directed all governors to form peace councils from all segments of the society to be ready for actual talks, and the day is not far away when we would commence these [peace] talks”, he said.
There seems to be an evident push for peace process in Afghanistan with the appointment of Zalmay Khalilzad as U.S. Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation.
ENDS
