NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Afghanistan, Ukraine plus transparency and risk reduction were among the key issues discussed during Thursday’s NATO-Russia Council meeting. Stoltenberg said the security situation in Afghanistan — “which remains challenging” — was on the agenda during Thursday’s meeting. “A stable Afghanistan is essential to regional security. NATO allies and Russia share a common interest to support the National Unity Government (NUG) and to work towards a free, safe and democratic Afghanistan,” he said. A statement from NATO headquarters sent to Killid stated that Stoltenberg said joint briefings on exercises and force posture at previous meetings of the NATO-Russia Council were important elements of ongoing dialogue. “The third and final topic we discussed was transparency and risk reduction,” Stoltenberg said. “They help to limit the risk of misunderstanding, miscalculation and unintended escalation,” Stoltenberg added. Regarding claims that Russia supporting Taleban in Afghanistan, Stoltenberg said that during the meeting the issue was mentioned, but not as an important issue. We have seen reports, but we haven’t seen any proofs, any confirmed information about that kind of support, and Russia has clearly stated that they’re not supporting Taleban. He added that the focus of the meeting was the importance of supporting an Afghan -led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process.
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