NATO, Austria sign accord on liaison office in Vienna

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg held a signing ceremony of a NATO liaison office in Vienna.

Stoltenberg and Schallenberg held a meeting at the NATO headquarters for discussions about the strong partnership that exists between Austria and the Alliance, a NATO statement said.

"The Secretary General thanked Austria for its contribution to NATO’s mission in Afghanistan. Mr Stoltenberg acknowledged that the decision to withdraw international forces from the country was not easy, and it entails risk, but that the alternative would have been an open-ended military commitment. Mr Stoltenberg added that Allies are now looking into how they can continue to support to the Afghan forces, including with funding and training," the statement said.

The statement added that the agreement signed between the two sides will pave the way for the formal establishment of the NATO Liaison Office to the OSCE and other international organizations in Vienna.​​​​​​​