Brussels - Ukraine will extend its presence in Afghanistan after NATO ends its mission in the country, and it will also make its contribution to the Afghan Security Forces Fund.
Head of Ukraine’s Mission to NATO, Ambassador Ihor Dolhov, said this in an interview with Ukrainian journalists in Brussels on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers from NATO and ISAF partner nations.
He noted that the successful completion of the mission in Afghanistan and the settlement of issues related to the functioning of the new mission after 2014 were currently at the center of NATO’s attention.
“A number of tasks facing the countries that have already volunteered at this stage to participate in the next mission after 2014 are complex and serious, and therefore there is a need to discuss and make decisions at the level of foreign ministers,” the Ukrainian ambassador said.
Dolhov said that Kyiv had already announced its participation in the next mission in Afghanistan.
“Ukraine’s participation was defined by the framework of the operation: assistance, training and support. We assume that the maximum number of Ukrainian personnel was determined by a presidential decree, and these are 30 people. But, in fact, there are 28 there. Where are our specialists necessary? These are bomb disposal experts, military doctors and helicopter instructors,” he said.
When asked by Interfax-Ukraine to comment on the formation and participation of Kyiv in the creation of the trust fund, he said that these funds are currently used to support the Afghan security forces, strengthen the activity of the government and executive power in this country and strengthen the rule of law and democracy. This fund is formed from several sources: bilateral obligations of countries, contributions by international organizations and contributions from the NATO budget.
