Opening remarks
by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council with Resolute Support Operational Partner and Potential Operational Partner Nations in Foreign Ministers' session
(As delivered)
So good morning. I think we are ready to start.
This last ministerial session is dedicated to Afghanistan.
Together with our partners in NATO’s Resolute Support Mission and the Afghan government.
At the Summit last July, we decided to strengthen our support to Afghanistan with more troops.
To train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces, so they can create the conditions for peace and reconciliation.
And we agreed to extend funding for the mission until 2024.
The security situation in Afghanistan remains difficult.
We have seen a number of high-profile attacks in the past months.
But the Afghan forces stand firm, and so do we.
We are in Afghanistan to help the Afghan people, but we are also in Afghanistan to help ourselves.
We are there to fight international terrorism.
And to prevent Afghanistan from ever again becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. This is in our own interests.
This concludes the public part of this meeting.
And I thank the media for joining us and we will continue this meeting in a moment.