| Afghanistan and the United States launch negotiations on bilateral security agreement |
| 11/18/2012 |
November 15, 2012
KABUL The Governments of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United States of America officially launched their negotiations on a Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) today in Kabul.
The BSA negotiations are in accordance with the Afghanistan-US Strategic Partnership Agreement signed between President Karzai and President Obama on May 2, 2012 in Kabul and currently in force between the two countries.
H.E. Eklil Hakimi, Ambassador of Afghanistan in Washington, is leading the Afghan negotiating team while Ambassador James Warlick, Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is leading the United States negotiating team.
Both sides affirmed that the key guiding principles in these important negotiations are full respect for Afghan sovereignty and Afghan national interests, including advancing the cause of peace and security across Afghanistan, strengthening the capacity and capabilities of Afghan national security forces so that they can independently provide security for the Afghan people and defend the country against external threats, and pursuing both countries shared goal of eliminating trans-national terrorism.
The BSA negotiations are to be conducted taking into account the November 2011 Traditional Loya Jirgas recommendation that strategic cooperation between the United States and Afghanistan is important for the political, economic and security development, and progress of Afghanistan.
Both sides clarified that these negotiations are premised on the understanding that the United States does not seek permanent military bases in Afghanistan, or a presence that is perceived as a threat to Afghanistans neighbors.
These negotiations open yet another chapter in the existing solid partnership between the two nations that have borne enormous sacrifices in their common fight against terrorism and for the security, stability, development and the strengthening of Afghanistans young democracy.
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