Best chance for peace in Afghanistan in a generation – VG

The negotiations in Doha are fragile, but they are the best chance for a generation to achieve peace in Afghanistan, says NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.

The Alliance’s operation in Afghanistan was the topic of the second and final day of the NATO Defense Ministers’ meeting. Stoltenberg says NATO is behind the peace process and has adjusted its presence accordingly.

– Just a few years ago, we had combat forces consisting of over 100,000 people. Now we are down to a strength of just under 12,000, Stoltenberg said when the meeting was over on Friday.

– The coming months will be crucial. This is the best chance for peace in a generation, and all Afghans should seize this historic opportunity, the NATO chief believes.

Joint decision

Stoltenberg reiterated that the Taliban must reduce violence in the country and break all ties with al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

– Afghanistan must never again be able to become a platform for attacks on our countries. It is also important to take care of the progress that has been made over several years, not least for women and girls, he emphasized.

It was reminded again that NATO entered Afghanistan together, and that a decision to withdraw will also be made jointly, when the time comes. This is in contrast to what US President Donald Trump said recently. In September, he said all US forces should go home before Christmas.

NATO’s mission in Iraq was also taken up, and there the alliance will increase its presence to build up the country’s forces. Stoltenberg said it was too early to come up with any figures and emphasized that the escalation should take place in consultation with the country’s authorities.

Gender aspect

Ministers also noted that it is 20 years since the UN Security Council resolution on women, peace and security.

“It is a recognition that women and girls are disproportionately hard hit in conflicts and that they play a crucial role in peace and security,” the NATO chief said. He said it was important to have a gender perspective in everything NATO does.

– None of us can succeed if we do not exploit the potential that lies with everyone – men and women.

Space center

On Thursday, ministers agreed that NATO must be at the forefront of all its operational domains: land, sea, air, cyberspace and space. The latter was given a prominent place when it was formally decided to establish a space center at the Ramstein air base in Germany. The center will coordinate all NATO activity related to space.

NATO’s defense and deterrence capability was also a topic on the first day of the meeting. This was linked to the resilience of civil society, including in terms of infrastructure on which the defense also depends.

– You can not have strong armies without strong societies, Stoltenberg pointed out.

Budget and GDP

Defense budgets and a fairer burden-sharing have become a recurring theme in NATO and were also addressed this time. A new report shows that Canada and its European member states continue to increase their defense budgets for the sixth year in a row. In the last year, there has been a real growth of 4.3 percent.

Norway is now among the ten countries that meet the target of spending at least 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense. Admittedly, it is not just because the defense budget has grown. We get some help in the calculation that GDP is likely to decrease as a result of the corona pandemic.