NATO Summit an Opportunity for Afghanistan Future

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit is scheduled to be held this Thursday and Friday on September 4-5 in Wales where the 28-nation alliance will discuss and decide the financial and security assistance to Afghanistan.

Representing Afghanistan will be Afghan Defense Minister Gen. Bismillah Mohammadi, given that a president has not been elected yet.

Afghan political analysts hope that the absence of a new president will not change NATO's stance on Afghanistan and continue to be committed to the country after the formation of a national unity government, stressing that the summit will significantly impact the nation's future.

"Even though NATO was expecting a new president, they will probably give Afghanistan another chance," Head of Afghanistan's Center of Strategic Studies, Dawoud Muradian, said. "If the national unity government is formed, NATO is prepared to initiate a new chapter of relations with Afghanistan."

Additionally, international relations analyst Malik Setez added that "international commitments to Afghanistan are subject to three components: the existence of a legitimate system in Afghanistan, the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US paving the way for NATO cooperation, and a joint strategy in the national and international levels."

He said that if these three factors are taken into consideration and implemented the international community will continue to support the country.

Law professor and expert Nasrullah Estanikzai added to Muradian's outlook, expressing optimism about the summit.

"At the summit in Wales, strategic decisions will be taken for Afghanistan on the basis of NATO's longstanding objectives," Estanikzai explained. "NATO's stance on Afghanistan will not change. Absence of a new president is sad, but it will not be determinative in changing NATO's decisions."

The NATO Chicago conference had pledged to provide $4.1 billion to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF); however the Afghan government has announced that the overall financial obligations of the forces are currently about $6.1 billion.

This year's summit has been called the most important conference in the past 70 years.