Afghan President, NATO Chief Hold Phone Conversation Over Peace Talks

NATO's Jens Stoltenberg and Afghan's Ashraf Ghani

KABUL, Jan 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Afghan President, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, and NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, held a phone conversation over peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

The two sides discussed “the Afghan peace process and NATO’s continued support for Afghanistan Defence and Security forces,” the presidential office said.

“NATO remains committed to supporting the Afghan Defence and Security forces, and continues its mission to train, advise and assist the forces,” the statement added.

Peace talks have been underway between Afghan negotiating team and Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar since early Sept last year, to find a peaceful solution to the prolonged Afghan conflict, but no tangible progress has been reported yet.

The United States and Afghan Taliban signed an agreement in Feb last year, paving the way for a full withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan by May this year, if the Taliban meets the conditions of the deal, including severing ties with terrorist groups.