NATO Leaders Reaffirm Commitment to Ensure Long-term Security, Stability in Afghanistan

NATO summit kicked off on Wednesday in Brussels with heads of states and partners from 43 countries, including President Ghani and the U.S. President Donald Trump.  

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that the Taliban will not win on the battlefield and will gain much more if they sit down on negotiating table with the Afghan government.

“Message to the Taliban is that they will not win on the battlefield. They have to sit down at the negotiating table,” Stoltenberg said. “We will continue to support the Afghan security forces.”  

 NATO chief also welcomed the government’s unconditioned peace talks and ceasefire with the Taliban.

The alliance’s leaders in a declaration of the summit reaffirmed their commitment to ensure long-term security and stability in Afghanistan.

“We will continue our assistance by extending our financial sustainment of the Afghan forces through 2024 and by pledging to fill staffing shortfalls, especially in priority areas,” the declaration reads. 

It said that the regional actors have an important role to play in support of peace and stabilisation in Afghanistan.

“We call on them to cooperate more closely on fighting terrorism, to improve the conditions for economic development, to support the Afghan government’s peace and reconciliation efforts, and to prevent any form of support to the insurgency.” 

“In this regard, we encourage Pakistan, Iran, and Russia to contribute to regional stability by fully supporting an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process,” it added.  

President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah  are representing Afghanistan in the summit and one of them is expected to deliver remarks on second day of the summit.