Stefano Pontecorvo takes office as NATO’s SCR in Afghanistan

Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo of Italy officially takes up his role, today June 1, as the new NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, NATO confirmed in a statement.

NATO Sec-Gen Jens Stoltenberg said, “I look forward to working closely with him at this critical juncture for Afghanistan’s future.”

According to the statement, Pontecorvo will be working with the NATO-led Resolute Support mission that trains, advises, and assists the Afghan National forces as well as advising the NATO Secretary-General and the North Atlantic Council on the Alliance’s efforts in Afghanistan and relations with Afghan partners.

The statement added, “He will liaise with senior members of the Afghan government, Afghan officials and other prominent national and local officials. He will engage with representatives of the international community, Afghan civil society, and non-governmental organizations.”

His previous roles have been described as Italy’s Ambassador to Pakistan, diplomatic adviser to the Italian Defense Minister working on NATO political-military issues, including on Afghanistan, and deputy head of mission at the Italian embassies in London and Moscow.

It is noteworthy that Sir Nicholas Kay of the United Kingdom was previously serving as the NATO SCR in Afghanistan since March 2019.