KABUL (BNA)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu at NATO Headquarters today. They discussed a range of issues, including the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, Afghanistan and Libya. On Afghanistan, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated that, at the next NATO Defense Ministers meeting in February, NATO will need to address the future of its training mission. “Whatever path we choose, it is important that we do so together, in a coordinated and deliberate way”, he said, adding that NATO supports the Afghan peace talks and, as part of this process, stands ready to further adjust its presence. Also on the agenda was the planned expansion of NATO’s Training Mission in Iraq to help ensure ISIS never returns. On Libya, the Secretary General expressed his concern about the situation and restated the long standing NATO position that the Alliance remains committed to providing advice in the area of defense and security institution building, taking into account political and security conditions. The Secretary General also thanked Turkey for its significant contributions to NATO operations and for leading NATO’s high readiness forces in 2021.
