The NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg claimed in an interview that the United States had consulted with its European allies about the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan and that the Europeans’ current excuses for not consulting with Washington were baseless.
Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has refused to accept European complaints that the US government has not consulted with its allies about the decision to leave Afghanistan.
“Stoltenberg said in this regard: You hear different voices in Europe and some people talk about non-consultation, but I was present at those meetings. Of course, the United States consulted with its European allies, but in the end, each country must make its own decision on the deployment of troops.
Politico goes on to claim that many EU diplomats and leaders have complained about the lack of consultations on leaving Afghanistan, as the decision to leave the country has raised fears of a terrorist attack on European soil and a possible new wave of asylum seekers following the 2015 immigration crisis. .
Stoltenberg’s remarks came as EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell told AFP in an interview that the developments in Kabul had fallen to the Taliban, which was accompanied by a rapid exodus of Afghans from Afghanistan. It shows that Europe needs to develop its military capabilities independently of the United States.
Borrell had previously described the Afghanistan crisis as a wake-up call for Europe, saying it reiterated the need for a European defense force and the creation of a rapid reaction force.
The President of the Council of Europe, Charles Michel, also said in his speech that the developments in Afghanistan showed that Europe must be able to act independently of the United States.
Michelle had said in this regard: In my view, we do not need another geopolitical event to realize that the EU must have more independence in decision-making and the capacity to act globally.
It should be noted that the United States, after 20 years of occupation in Afghanistan, finally left the country at the end of last month (August) with hasty and irresponsible withdrawal, causing irreparable damage to the people of this country, as well as its 20 years of military occupation. There has been no achievement other than war, violence and the retreat of Afghan society.