NATO chief says decision to stay or leave will be made in February

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday night elaborated on his comment earlier this week about troops withdrawal and said NATO and its allies will “face a turning point early next year.”

Addressing a virtual press conference after the first day of the meetings of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Stoltenberg said ministers discussed NATO2030 and how to further adapt the Alliance for the future and addressed the situation in Afghanistan.

“NATO supports the Afghan peace process. And as part of that, we have adjusted our presence. While the United States has decided to further reduce its troop numbers to 2,500, NATO’s training mission continues. And over half of our forces are, now, non-US. 

“Ministers made clear that all Allies remain committed to the mission. And to supporting Afghan security forces in the fight against terrorism. As we continue to assess the situation in Afghanistan, it is clear that we will face a turning point early next year,” he said.

“If we stay, we risk continued fighting. And an even longer-term engagement.

 “If we leave, we risk Afghanistan once again becoming a safe haven for international terrorists. And the loss of the gains made with such sacrifice.

“So there is a price for staying longer. But there is also a price for leaving too soon. We will have to take some hard decisions when NATO defense ministers meet next February. 

“But whatever we decide, we must do it in a coordinated and orderly way,” he said. 

Stoltenberg however emphasized that although NATO is committed to continue supporting the Afghan security forces the organization and its Allies have “stated many times that we will not stay in Afghanistan with our military presence for longer than necessary.”

He also said NATO and its Allies welcome that for the first time in two decades, there are now direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

“It’s far too early to say whether these talks will succeed, but they are the only path, they are the only real possibility, chance, for a political settlement of the crisis in Afghanistan.

“And, therefore, we will have to make an assessment next year about whether we deem the situation, what should I say . . . or the conditions in place for us to further reduce and eventually leave Afghanistan, or whether we have to stay.”

He said that is a decision NATO will take based on consultations between all NATO Allies. 

“The defense ministerial meeting in February will be an important meeting. And we have to remember that this is something that the whole of NATO and, actually, also several partners are part of.” 

He pointed out however that until this year the US, which is NATO’s biggest Ally, had the largest number of troops in Afghanistan over the years, but now the majority of the foreign troops in Afghanistan are from European Allies and partner countries – non-US troops. 

He again called on the Taliban to reduce violence but said this was just the first step. “What we need to see is a lasting peace agreement. And part of that has to be a ceasefire. So, the reduction of violence should only be the first step.”