Readout of Secretary Carter’s Meeting with the President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani
Jan. 22, 2016

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland today.

In their meeting, Secretary Carter and President Ghani discussed the ongoing mission to train, advise, and assist the Afghan forces as they confront the Taliban, secure their country, and work closely with the United States to prevent terrorist groups from using Afghanistan as a safe haven. They discussed the current security situation, and the important role Afghanistan’s new A-29 aircraft will play in the future.

Secretary Carter welcomed President Ghani’s thanks for the continuing sacrifice of U.S. forces and President Obama’s decision to maintain a significant U.S. military presence in country, both in 2016 and beyond. They also discussed Afghan international outreach efforts in advance of the July 2016 NATO Warsaw Summit.

Secretary Carter underscored U.S. commitment to the enduring defense partnership between the U.S. and Afghanistan.‎ They agreed to continue the close coordination between the two countries.