Foreign Desk Report
BRUSSELS: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has hinted at reduction of NATO forces in Afghanistan with the full coordination of its allies as the operations in Afghanistan are aimed at maintaining peace in the country at all costs.
This was said during an online conference of the Defence Ministers of NATO countries in Brussels. SG Stoltenberg said, during his press conference, it was discussed that as part of a coordinated decision by NATO allies, it was decided earlier this year to move to “Phase A-Light” which is a reduced NATO presence in Afghanistan. “But we maintained the bases, the regional presence of the NATO forces in Afghanistan, including a German-led presence in Mazar-i-Sharif in the north, with many other Allies,” he added. He also mentioned the presence of the Italian-led presence in Herat, in the west of Afghanistan.
“We will now have a process in NATO where we will sit together, the US and all other Allies and discuss different options, different possibilities for further reductions,” Stoltenberg disclosed. “But of course, that will be done in a coordinated way, in an orderly way, and it will depend on the developments in Afghanistan. And perhaps the most important thing now is to make sure that Taliban breaks ties, all their bonds with the Al-Qaeda, and also that we have intra-Afghan negotiations,” he added.
He said that NATO was prepared for further reductions and that it was addressed by Secretary Esper in detail during the meeting. Stoltenberg said that the meeting also reviewed the coronavirus pandemic, Russia’s defense preparations and NATO missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. He said the presence of the COVID-19 virus did not mean that the rest of NATO’s challenges were over. He added that state and non-state elements were trying to destabilize, divide and disrupt the NATO alliance.
“Therefore, NATO will continue to play its role in defending itself against any threat against its allies,” he added. Stoltenberg said the meeting reviewed Russia’s growing nuclear capabilities and its dual-use missile technology, as well as the impact of its threat against NATO. Western powers are backing the Afghan govt’s refusal to free hundreds of prisoners accused of some of Afghanistan’s most violent attacks, a release demanded by the Taliban as a condition to start peace talks, five sources told media. The issue is a final major sticking point which, if resolved, is expected to lead quickly to intra-Afghan peace negotiations in Qatar aimed at ending more than 18 years of war in a U.S.-brokered peace process.
