February 15,2021.  Press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of the meetings of NATO Defence Ministers at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on 17 and 18 February 2021. 

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday suggested that Alliance troops may stay in Afghanistan a while longer than  a May 1 deadline for international troops to leave the country.  A peace deal made last year between the Taliban and the then administration of U.S. President Trump established the withdrawal date. There are about 10,000 NATO troops – including 2,500 Americans – in Afghanistan today. The NATO force is performing a train, assist and advise mission. 

“While no Ally wants to stay in Afghanistan longer than necessary, we will not leave before the time is right. So our presence is conditions-based.  Our priority is that Afghanistan does not become a safe haven for international terrorists once again. And that has been the priority ever since we went into Afghanistan almost 20 years ago. Afghanistan should never again serve as a haven for terrorists to attack our homelands.”

-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

Secretary General  Stoltenberg made the comments at a press conference ahead of this week’s virtual meeting of NATO Defence Ministers.   Stoltenberg said ministers will address NATO’s missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, review progress toward fairer burden-sharing, and meet with partners Finland.  This NATO’s  first meeting with the new administration of U.S. President Joe Biden.  U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will participate in the virtual meeting. 

“I think it’s no secret that over the last four years, we had some difficult discussions inside NATO, but now we look to the future. And the future is that we now have an administration in the United States, in Washington, which is strongly committed to the transatlantic bond, to NATO, to Europe and North America working together. I welcome that and I have spoken with President Biden twice since the elections. And in both those conversations, he has been very strong, very clear on the importance of rebuilding alliances and further strengthening NATO.”

-NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. 

Stoltenberg said he will suggest to Defense Ministers to increase NATO’s funding for its  core deterrence and defence activities.    “This would support Allied deployments in our battlegroups in the eastern part of our Alliance, air policing, maritime deployments and exercises. Spending more together would demonstrate the strength of our commitment to Article 5, our promise to defend each other.  And it would contribute to fairer burden-sharing.”