KABUL – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has urged close regionalcooperation to address ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.
The secretary general expressed the view while addressing a pressconference on Thursday after the NATO defence ministers meeting inBrussels, the capital of Belgium.
When asked about recent media reports about China plan to establish amilitary base in northeastern Afghanistan in order to control Uyghurmilitants in the area, Stoltenberg said: “It’s impossible to solve thecrisis in Afghanistan without close cooperation with the other countries inthe region, and China is one of them. But it’s not for NATO to decide onwhether China is going to have any kind of military presence in Afghanistanthat’s for Afghanistan to decide.”
He added: “As long as we support the government, respect the decisions ofthe Afghan government, then I think the important message is that this isup for the Afghan government to decide. We have seen the reports, but it’snot for me, in a way, to have any… to give advice on that, it’s for theAfghan government to decide.”
After the last working session of defence ministerial meeting NATO tookdecisions which would further strengthen the security of the Alliance.
Stoltenberg said NATO was committed to projecting stability beyond thealliance borders and play a key role in the fight against terrorism.