Allied Ministers have not taken a decision on whether to continue or end NATO mission in Afghanistan, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced after the Alliance’s videoconference.
According to last year’s agreement between the United States and the Taliban, if the Taliban respect their commitments, foreign troops must leave Afghanistan no later than 1 May. But the security situation on the ground remains very critical, particularly because of Taliban attacks.
“We are faced with many dilemmas and there are no easy options. At this stage, we have not made a final decision on the future of our presence”, he explained, while acknowledging that 1 May was approaching. The Allies will therefore continue to consult each other in the next few days.
On this point, Mr Stoltenberg recalled that US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had explained that his country would consult the Allies and coordinate on the decision to be taken. “We went into Afghanistan together, NATO Allies, partners and the United States [after 11 September]. We have made decisions on adjusting our presence together. And we will also make the decision, when the time is right, to leave together”, stressed the Secretary General. He added that the majority of the 10,000 soldiers still present for the mission in the country were not American.
The Secretary General stressed the need to make progress in the political process. “There is still time to have a political agreement”, he said, acknowledging that “discussions are fragile and progress is slow”. For him, it is therefore “imperative to reinvigorate the peace process”. “All parties must seize this historic opportunity to reach a peaceful settlement without further delay. The Taliban must negotiate in good faith, reduce the high level of violence and respect their commitment to stop cooperating with international terrorist groups”, he demanded.
Iraq. With regard to Iraq, the Ministers decided to significantly increase the size of the NATO training mission, currently under Danish command, “in order to support Iraqi forces in their fight against terrorism and to guarantee that the organisation Islamic State does not return”, explained Mr Stoltenberg. The mission should thus grow from 500 to around 4,000 personnel. According to the Secretary General, training activities will now include more Iraqi security institutions and extend to areas beyond the capital, Baghdad.
“Our presence is conditional, and the increase in staff will be gradual”, Mr Stoltenberg warned. He recalled that the mission was being carried out at the request of the Iraqi government, “in full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq”, in full consultation with the Iraqi authorities and in close coordination with the global coalition.
On Wednesday, the Secretary General had condemned the attack on an air base hosting American soldiers in Erbil (see EUROPE 12660/17).
NATO 2030. On the same day, during their first working session, the Defence Ministers discussed the future of the Alliance through 2030, debating the Secretary General’s proposals (see EUROPE 12658/8).
“We have had an excellent start to discussions to establish a substantial and forward-looking agenda for the NATO summit, ensuring a more peaceful and prosperous future through a strong transatlantic Alliance”, Mr Stoltenberg said at the end of the first day of the meeting.
He added that he proposed that the Heads of State and Government, at their summit this year, should agree to update the Alliance’s Strategic Concept, which was last updated in 2010.
Since then, “the security environment we are facing has fundamentally changed”, Mr Stoltenberg recalled, justifying the update. He said that in the current strategic concept there is little or no mention of the changing balance of power and the security implications of China’s rise, as well as climate change. “We need to recommit to our core values. And we need to use the Strategic Concept to further strengthen the bond between North America and Europe”, he added.
Expenditures. The Allies had also discussed defence spending (see EUROPE 12586/24). While they are making progress towards meeting the 2% of national GDP rule (nine states are expected to reach this target this year), “we must all keep the commitments we have made and continue to invest in our defence and increase the readiness of our forces”, Mr Stoltenberg explained. The goal is for defence spending to account for 2% of GDP in all Allied countries by 2024.
Cooperation. Finally, the Allies met with their Finnish and Swedish counterparts and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to share their views on common challenges and transatlantic relations, as well as the need for Europe and North America to work closely together.
“The transatlantic relationship is the EU’s most indispensable strategic partnership, based on historical ties, common values and security interests. Cooperation between the EU and NATO has come a long way. Let’s take another step forward in 2021” commented High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell on Twitter. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)