NATO is very closely following the developments in the situation in Afghanistan, and its Secretary General, former Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg, participated in contacts on this issue. Another meeting with the foreign ministers of the participating countries took place this Friday, at the end of which Stoltenberg said that “what we have witnessed in recent days is a tragedy for the people of Afghanistan.”
“The situation remains very difficult and unpredictable,” he said, adding that “the evacuation of people from allied and partner countries, as well as Afghans who worked with us, is our immediate priority.” In this context, “NATO is working 24 hours a day, supporting operations at Kabul International Airport, allowing thousands of people to leave the country.”
Adding that “some 800 NATO civilians have worked to keep the airport open, providing air traffic control, fuel and communications,” Stoltenberg thanked “NATO allies, in particular Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as our partner , Azerbaijan, for its vital role in airport security ”.
On the other hand, the Secretary General said that “we hope that the Taliban will fulfill their obligations and ensure that Afghanistan no longer becomes a haven for international terrorism. They must end violence throughout the country and protect the fundamental rights of all Afghan citizens – men, women and children. ”
He recalled that “over the years, the presence of NATO and the support of the entire international community have enabled Afghans to achieve unprecedented social, economic and political progress. Any Afghan government that tries to undo this progress runs the risk of falling into international isolation. ”
Stoltenberg announced that “the ministers have agreed that we will not allow terrorists to threaten us from Afghanistan again. Our goal was to prevent terrorists from using Afghanistan as a safe haven for further attacks against us, and there have been no terrorist attacks from Afghanistan on Allied territory in the past two decades. ”
“We were aware of the risks of a withdrawal of our troops, but the speed of the collapse of the Afghan political and military leadership was not expected,” he said, echoing the same argument that US President Joe Biden has already used in his statements made these days.
Stoltenberg also said that “I intend to conduct a full assessment of NATO’s involvement in Afghanistan.” He concluded by stating that “North America and Europe must continue to be united in NATO, the events in Afghanistan do not change that. The shift in the global balance of power, Russia’s aggressive actions and the rise of China make it all the more important that we maintain strong transatlantic ties, “thus re-aligning the organisation’s agenda with part of the country’s diplomatic priorities. The White house.
