Partnership agreement between Norway and Afghanistan extended

The strategic partnership agreement between Norway and Afghanistan was entered into in 2013 by the then prime minister Jens Stoltenberg and the then Afghan president Hamid Karzai, and was due to expire at the end of 2017. Yesterday's exchange of letters extends the agreement for another three years, until the end of 2020. This coincides with the period for Norway's pledges of civilian and military support made at the donor conference in Brussels and the Nato summit in Warsaw in 2016.

'Our contributions will continue to be conditional on the Afghan Government delivering on its commitments and increasing its efforts to fight corruption,' Mr Brende said.

There is broad international agreement that Afghanistan will need substantial support for a number of years to achieve stability. The country is facing major security, political, economic and humanitarian challenges. The extension of this partnership agreement is a clear indication of Norway's willingness to help address these challenges.

'Norway intends to be a robust and predictable partner for Afghanistan. This agreement clearly demonstrates the close cooperation between our countries and Norway's lasting solidarity with the Afghan people,' said Mr Brende.

The agreement was signed during a meeting on 20 September between Foreign Ministers Brende and Rabbani in connection with the UN General Assembly in New York.