Official communiqué of the Informal Meeting of the Defence Ministers in Brussels

November 4, 2013 10:25 AM

An informal meeting of the Defence Ministers of the Troop-Contributing Nations in ISAF's Regional Command North took place in Brussels, 23 October 2013. The official communiqué of the event can be read below:

We, the defence ministers of the troop-contributing nations in ISAF's Regional Command North have met today for the fourth time to discuss our on-going and future commitments to Northern Afghanistan.

The deliberations earlier today between the defence ministers of all the nations contributing troops to ISAF served as the starting point for our talks. In a constructive atmosphere, we subsequently discussed the developments that have emerged in north Afghanistan in 2013. Our attention was focused not only on aspects relating to the redeployment, but also on the start of the implementation of the fifth – and, consequently, last – phase of the transition on 18 June this year. The Afghan National Security Forces thus assumed the lead of all security operations in the country, and ISAF switched to a support role as "Milestone 2013" was achieved.

In the North, the assumption of security responsibility by the Afghan National Security Forces was continued in a targeted manner in line with the decisions of NATO's 2010 Lisbon and 2012 Chicago summits.

We note that the generally positive developments in the north of Afghanistan have continued since our last meeting. In view of the difficult environment, we are making good, but still not completely satisfactory, progress.

By assuming the full security responsibility, Afghan National Security Forces are now in the first line of defence throughout the country and, as a result, exposed to the greatest risk. Today, our Afghan partners are able to counter most threats independently, with occasional advice and support from ISAF. We regard this as evidence of the strong motivation of the Afghan National Security Forces and of how successful our commitment to their training has been. We have the greatest respect for their willingness to achieve a stable and secure environment in Afghanistan despite the risks they take in doing so. The Afghan National Security Forces will also have a vital role in ensuring the implementation of the elections in 2014.

What has been achieved so far is also due in no small part to the military and police forces that we have provided. We gratefully acknowledge their achievements. We strongly express our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives and to those injured in the line of duty. We especially commemorate our dead and wounded Afghan partners and extend our gratitude to them.

By the end of 2014 the ISAF forces will redeploy completely from Afghanistan. The ISAF mission, which began in 2001, will come to an end after more than 13 years. The conclusions that can be drawn from our support of the build-up of the ANSF are generally positive.

There is no doubt, however, that continued international support of the Afghan National Security Forces through training, advice, assistance and funding will also be necessary beyond 2014, in order to secure what has been achieved so far and to establish sustainable structures. The professionalism and sustainability of the Afghan National Security Forces remains an important pillar for a long term safe and stable environment for the Afghan people. The aim is to enable them to guarantee Afghanistan's security as a fully sovereign country in the long term.

It is also important to underline that Afghanistan’s enduring peace and stability will rely upon continued progress in governance, development, political reconciliation and regional cooperation as much as security. To this end, Afghanistan will need the international community’s continued support in the years to come. The professionalism and sustainability of the Afghan National Security Forces, together with an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned political process involving successful reconciliation and reintegration, improved governance, continued reconstruction and economic development as well as enhanced cooperation among Afghanistan’s regional partners, remain key to a safe and stable environment for the Afghan people in the long term and, therefore, to the further development of the region.

NATO intends to continue its firm commitment in the form of the non-combat training, advisory and assistance mission (Resolute Support Mission) even after the ISAF mission has ended. This mission will be limited to training, advising and assisting the Afghan National Security Forces. The mission intends to have initially a limited regional approach in four main locations outside the hub in Kabul, and consequently efforts to train, advice and assist the Afghan security forces in Mazar-e Sharif for Northern Afghanistan will be able to continue. Alliance planning, as an essential basis of our plans for the smooth transition to this model, must be completed as early as possible. Concurrently, Germany will continue to consult and coordinate with those who want to be part of the spoke in northern Afghanistan. This will enable all participants to integrate national contributions into a framework that ensures operational readiness for the new mission from January 2015 onwards.

As prerequisites for participating in the training, advisory and assistance mission, we expect a sustainable NATO concept for the Resolute Support Mission in addition to an invitation from the Afghan Government and a comprehensive Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between NATO and Afghanistan for all potential operational partners. It is in our interest that the international community welcomes our continued commitment in Afghanistan.