The current situation in Afghanistan is still difficult, says the NATOsecretary-general, who has New Zealand’s cooperation in the war-torn country.

At a joint news conference with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the NATO headquarters on Friday, Jen Stoltenberg appreciated Wellington’s role in Afghanistan.
“We welcome very much the close partnership … We see that in Afghanistan where we have been working together for many years,” the secretary-general added.
New Zealand has contributed with personnel to the National Army Defence Academy, helping to train and educate Afghan soldiers, he was quoted as saying in a statement from NATO.
Stoltenberg said the objective behind NATO’s presence in Afghanistan was to prevent the country from once again becoming a safe haven for international terrorism.
“It’s still a difficult situation in Afghanistan, but we strongly believe that the best way to help to stabilise the country is to train the forces, build local capacity so they can stabilize their own country.”