NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explained on Thursday 21 October, at the end of the first day of the Allied Defence Ministers’ meeting, that the Alliance would remain vigilant to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a haven for terrorist groups.
“We agreed that we must remain vigilant. We will monitor any attempt by international terrorist groups to regroup in Afghanistan”, he warned. The Secretary General highlighted that the Allies had the capability to strike from afar, if necessary. “We don’t need to have thousands of troops [to attack them] if groups are reforming, planning and conducting attacks against our countries”, he added.
Once again, Mr Stoltenberg explained that Alliance members would hold the Taliban accountable for their commitments to counter-terrorism, safe passage and human rights. He said the Allies were “deeply disappointed” by what they were seeing on human rights and that even though they no longer had troops there, they still had ways - political, economic and diplomatic - to put pressure on the Taliban.
Mr Stoltenberg noted that the Allies had evacuated over 120,000 people from the country on hundreds of flights, including about 2,000 Afghans working with NATO, along with their families.
Beyond Afghanistan, he also considered it essential that Allies continue to coordinate and stand together in the fight against international terrorism.
At their meeting, the ministers also agreed on a new comprehensive plan for defending the Alliance in the event of crisis and conflict, “to ensure that we continue to have the right forces in the right place at the right time”, Mr Stoltenberg announced.
The Allies also agreed on the Alliance’s capability goals, which are part of its planning process. According to the Secretary General, “these objectives contribute to ensuring that we have the capabilities necessary for credible deterrence and defence”. “Few Allies can have the full spectrum of capabilities. An important task for NATO is our ability to coordinate and agree on capability goals so that we can support and help each other”, he added.
According to Mr Stoltenberg, the ministers also discussed progress in addressing the “growing threat” posed by Russia’s missile systems. The measures put in place “include significant improvements to our air and missile defences, strengthening our conventional capabilities with fifth-generation jets, adapting our exercises and intelligence and improving the readiness and effectiveness of our nuclear deterrent”, the Secretary-General detailed. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)