LOC13:56
10:56 GMT
BRUSSELS, Oct 21 (KUNA) -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Wednesday said that the ongoing intra-Afghan talks in Doha, Qatar, "offer the best chance for peace in a generation.
"These are intra-Afghan negotiations. Afghans are sitting around the table, no other country. We support the negotiations," he told an online press conference in Brussels ahead of a two-day NATO Defence Ministers meeting via video-conference on Thursday and Friday.
"The Taliban must live up to their commitments, significantly reduce the levels of violence, and pave the way for a ceasefire," he said.
Just this week, NATO Allies and partners renewed their commitment to provide financial support to the Afghan forces through 2024, said the NATO chief.
Over the next two days, NATO Defence Ministers will meet to address key issues for the Alliance including, strengthening deterrence and defence, boosting the resilience of "our societies, fairer burden-sharing and NATO missions in Afghanistan and Iraq," he noted.
"In Iraq, the security situation remains challenging. And NATO stands with Iraq in the fight against international terrorism," said Stoltenberg.
"So we will decide to step up our training mission. And enhance our support, in full coordination with the Iraqi Government and the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS," he added.
NATO defence ministers will also discuss NATO's response to the Russian missile challenge, which is growing in scale and complexity, he stated.
"Some nations - including Russia and China - are developing systems which could blind, disable or shoot down satellites," he warned.
Stoltenberg stressed that space is "essential for our ability to navigate, communicate, and detect missile launches.And fast, effective and secure satellite communications are vital for our troops.
"Tomorrow, I expect ministers will agree to establish a new NATO Space Centre at Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany," he added. (end)
nk.bs