MONITORING (SW) – US President Joe Biden has said Washington strongly supports the diplomatic process that is underway to bring an end to war in Afghanistan.
“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again provides a base for terrorist attacks against the United States and our partners”, he said while addressing the Munich Security Conference on Friday.
In remarks to world leaders, he vowed that America remains committed to its foreign military alliances and promised to work closely with international partners in addressing the biggest security threats around the globe.
“I know the past few years have tested our transatlantic relationship, but the United States is determined to re-engage with you and return back our position of trust and leadership,” Biden said in a message to the Munich Security Conference, held virtually this year.
“America is back. And we are not looking backward”, the NPR quoted him as saying.
Although Biden never directly mentioned his predecessor — former President Donald Trump — in his speech, the address was clearly focused on repairing relationships with foreign allies strained during Trump’s previous four years in office, the Military Times reported.
Biden proclaimed that the United States is “fully committed to our NATO Alliance” while also acknowledging “Europe’s growing investment in the military capabilities that enable our shared defense.” Trump had made European government’s lower-than-desired military spending a constant refrain of his presidency, leading to resentment from several alliance members.
But Biden invoked NATO several times in the speech as a lynchpin in global security challenges, including the need to resolve the 19-year military mission in Afghanistan.
“My administration strongly supports the diplomatic process that is underway to bring an end to this war,” he said. “We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again provides a base for terrorist attacks against the United States and our partners.”
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This came a day after NATO defence ministers concluded a two-day meeting in Brussels, deferring final decision on troop pullout from Afghanistan.
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