Sarkozy confirms France's early withdrawal from AfghanistanJanuary 28, 2012 - 10:24 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday, Jan 27, that France would pull its forces out of Afghanistan a year earlier than planned, a week after the killing of four French servicemen by a renegade Afghan soldier. After meeting Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Paris, Sarkozy said France had decided to transfer security in the eastern Kapisa province, where most of the 3,600-strong French contingent is based and the scene of the shooting, to Afghan forces from March of this year. "The pursuit of the transition and this gradual transfer of combat responsibilities will allow us to plan for a return of all our combat forces by the end of 2013," Sarkozy said, adding that 1,000 troops would return in 2012. This decision was made "in agreement with president Karzai and in agreement with our allies, in an organized and reasonable way," he said. "A few hundred" French troops would stay on after 2013 to train Afghan troops, Sarkozy said. Sarkozy said he would encourage NATO to consider transferring all its combat operations to Afghan forces in 2013, instead of the scheduled deadline of end-2014. French training operations in Afghanistan, suspended after the shooting, would resume on Saturday, the French president added. Sarkozy said he would speak to U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the French announcement was part of the "managed effort" to withdraw from Afghanistan. "This was not precipitous ... this was worked through carefully with NATO, with the Afghans and in consultation with all of us," she told reporters. "There were some concerns expressed in NATO countries... as well as in Afghanistan that whatever was done needed to be done in a consultative fashion, needed to be done in a managed fashion," Nuland said. "And what we see now is just that, a consulted and managed effort." A NATO spokeswoman said only: "We take note of the French statement." Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Protest leader vows to achieve departure of Armenian authorities According to Archbishop Bagrat, there is only one solution to the situation in Armenia. Heads of Armenian, Ukrainian parliaments hold virtual talks Alen Simonyan and Ruslan Stefanchuk held talks via video conference on Tuesday, May 21. Pashinyan travels to Iran to pay tribute to Raisi, others Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has left for the Islamic Republic of Iran on a working visit. Your home is in Armenia – Ameriabank offers mortgage loans for the Diaspora To buy real estate, Diasporans can apply to Ameriabank online to buy, renovate or build a home anywhere in Armenia. |