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Afghanistan: More Than Military Efforts Alone

Venue: Much of the summit will take place at the Olympic Sports Centre in Riga. NATO photo

At the NATO Summit in Riga, Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to promote a comprehensive approach to Afghanistan. Security and reconstruction must be combined. A military engagement alone will not lead to success.

Chancellor Merkel is traveling to the Latvian capital, where the heads of state and government of the 26 members of the North Atlantic Alliance will gather for the summit meeting on November 29.

Germany Active in Northern Afghanistan

With nearly 3,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, Germany is mainly active in the northern region, where 40 percent of the country’s population lives. “There we have an approach that combines military strength with political reconstruction and development assistance,” Merkel said in a video podcast.

The German mandate for the ISAF troop in Afghanistan already allows for limited deployments in southern combat areas. Moreover, Merkel told the Sächsische Zeitung on Monday, it would be improper if Germany neglected the North in order to aid the South.

Riga Summit

The Chancellor is convinced that a signal of unity will emanate from this NATO summit.

In the context of the political transformation of the Alliance, discussion about taking up new members will especially be a focus.

Strategic air transport and the NATO response force will be focal points of the discussion on military reorientation.

Possibilities for intensifying partner relationships will also be topics for discussion.

The last NATO summit took place on June 28, 2004, in Istanbul, where the heads of state and government issued the “Istanbul Declaration: Our security in a new era,” addressing the security challenges of the 21st century.

November 28, 2006

Links

No Redeployment of German Troops in Other Parts of Afghanistan
(November 24)

NATO Riga Summit

Government & Politics