Georgia Welcomes Signing of U.S.-Taliban Peace Agreement

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili welcomed the signing of a peace agreement by the Taliban and the United States on February 29, following talks in a bid to end a long-running conflict in Afghanistan. “As one of the largest and oldest contributors to the mission in Afghanistan, Georgia applauds the steps taken toward lasting peace,” tweeted Zurabishvili on the same day.

Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia hailed President Donald Trump’s peace plan and vowed that Georgia will continue to stand with the U.S. “to see the agreement’s conditions are met.”

The peace deal was also endorsed by Davit Zalkaliani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. Georgia’s chief diplomat called fostering peace and stability in Afghanistan “critical” for regional and global security.

U.S. and Taliban representatives signed an agreement after months of strenuous negotiations in Doha, Qatar. The deal paves the way for the U.S. to gradually end its military presence in Afghanistan.

Georgia is the largest non-NATO contributor to the Resolute Support Mission, maintaining 870 servicemen on Afghan soil. Since the initial deployment in 2004, 32 Georgian soldiers have died while serving in the NATO-led missions.

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