Afghan Military Trust Fund Full Board Meeting Held... South Korea Pledges Continued Contribution Through 2024

Attendees Welcome the Start of Peace Settlement Negotiations Between the Afghan Government and the Taliban

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The entire board of the Afghanistan National Army Trust Fund (ANATF) held a hybrid meeting, combining in-person and virtual formats, at NATO headquarters in Brussels on the 19th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the 20th.

Yoon Soon-gu, Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, co-chaired the meeting alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Attendees included the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, the Commander of the Combined Security Transition Command ? Afghanistan (CSTC-A), the Deputy Minister of Defense of Afghanistan, representatives from NATO member countries, and delegates from 28 other ANATF donor countries.

The participants welcomed the recent initiation of internal negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban aimed at establishing peace, and reaffirmed their plan to continue supporting the Afghan military and police forces until 2024, when the Afghan government has pledged self-reliance. Additionally, the Finnish special envoy for the upcoming 'Afghanistan Donor Conference,' jointly hosted by the Afghan government, the Finnish government, and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), provided an update on the conference preparations.

Kim Young-chae, South Korea’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, who attended the board meeting as the Korean government’s representative, stated, "South Korea plans to continue contributing to ANATF through 2024," emphasizing the need to discuss ANATF operational plans in line with progress in the Afghan peace process. He also announced that, for the first time in history, a Korean company has successfully entered the NATO procurement market this year.

South Korea has been conducting deployments of the Dongui and Dasan units, operating Provincial Reconstruction Teams, providing bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA), and offering financial support to contribute responsibly as a middle power in the international community toward the stabilization and peacebuilding of Afghanistan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.