US President Barack Obama and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday they have agreed to hold another NATO summit next year, focused on Afghanistan and the slated 2014 withdrawal of international troops, dpa reported.
After a meeting at the White House, Obama said Rasmussen would be working to identify a host country and plan for a 2014 NATO summit.
By the end of 2014, NATO's combat mission is projected to be complete, and combat troops will return home. The responsibility for the security of the country will be turned over to Afghan security forces, though a smaller NATO force will still be in the country to train, advise and assist, Rasmussen said.
Members of the military alliance would be able to underscore the final chapter of their Afghan operations at the summit and "paint a picture of the future, whereby we're partnering with the Afghan government on behalf of the Afghan people and on behalf of world security," Obama said.