Reduction Of NATO Presence In Afghanistan Requires Clear Conditions - Berlin

To reduce NATO's presence in Afghanistan there should be clear conditions set, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said before a meeting of the NATO Foreign Ministers Council on Thursday

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd April, 2020) To reduce NATO's presence in Afghanistan there should be clear conditions set, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said before a meeting of the NATO Foreign Ministers Council on Thursday.

"We'll talk about Afghanistan today. We want to confirm that we associate the further reduction in military units with clear conditions. Afghanistan needs security, peace, and we must save in the future the rights of citizens that have been provided in recent years," Maas said.

The top German diplomat added that there should be political progress, including in on intra-Afghan peace, and that Berlin was ready to mediate the negotiations.

On February 29, the United States signed an agreement with the Taliban that set the stage to terminate the longest war in modern US history and paved the way for intra-Afghan talks. The deal laid out a timetable for the withdrawal of some 8,600 troops out of the current 13,000 stationed in Afghanistan within 135 days. The full pullout is expected in 14 months.