KABUL: (Middle East Press) NATO led Alliance will a presence in Afghanistan after the end of its current mission Resolute Support, said NATO Foreign Ministers on Wednesday.
“Today, we took a major decision which shows that we stay committed to Afghanistan. We agreed that we will maintain a presence in Afghanistan, even after the end of our current mission, Resolute Support, “NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the end of a meeting of Foreign Ministers of NATO and partner countries contributing to the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Antalya, Turkey.
The meeting was attended by the commander of the Resolute Support Mission, General John Campbell and representatives from the United Nations, the European Union, Japan, and South Korea.
“Our future presence will be led by civilians. It will have a light footprint. But it will have a military component,” he added. NATO’s civilian and military authorities will now develop a plan for this continued NATO presence by this autumn.
The aim will be to advise and instruct the Afghan security institutions, to help them become self-sufficient, and to build on what we have achieved so far, as part of the broader international effort, pointed Mr. Stoltenberg.
During today’s meeting, ministers and partners took stock of the continued progress of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces as these are exerting full security responsibility across the country and discussed on their future cooperation with Afghanistan.
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