Opening remarks

Ministers,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In a few weeks time, Afghanistan will reach an important milestone.  Afghan Security Forces will be taking lead responsibility for security across the country.  At the same time, ISAF will complete its shift from a combat role to a support role.
 
ISAF will remain combat-ready until the end of 2014, when our mission will be completed and Afghans will be fully in charge of securing Afghanistan. Our engagement with Afghanistan will enter a new, and different chapter.

Together with our partners, we have been planning a new and different mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces after 2014. It will be smaller in scope and size than our current ISAF mission.  It will be a non-combat mission.  And today, I hope we will endorse the Concept of Operations.  And we will then initiate more detailed work on the Operations Plan.

We can be proud of what we have already accomplished in Afghanistan.  Afghanistan’s security transition is well advanced, and progress is clear to see.  But there are still challenges ahead, and much work to do. And to sustain our hard-won gains, further economic and political progress will also be vital.

Commitment is a two-way street.  Continued Afghan commitment to better governance, combating corruption, securing human rights and fair elections, will pave the way for continued international support.
 
This is a broad international effort, but at our meeting today, we will make clear that we are ready to play our part.

And now, I would like to thank the media for joining us.