Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo hopes for permanent peace in Afghanistan

Kabul: NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo on Tuesday hoped for permanent peace in Afghanistan.

In a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, he said NATO was committed to a peaceful Afghanistan.

“It was an honour to meet President @ashrafghani today. #NATO’s commitment to #Afghanistan & support for #AfghanPeaceProcess is firm.,” he tweeted after the meeting,

The Ambassador added: “Must seize this momentous opportunity for comprehensive agreement ending violence, securing peace & Afghanistan’s future.”

Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo otook up his role as the NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan this week.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “Ambassador Pontecorvo brings a long-standing diplomatic experience, including on Afghanistan and the broad regional context. I look forward to working closely with him at this critical juncture for Afghanistan’s future.”

Working with the NATO-led Resolute Support mission which trains, advises and assists the Afghan security forces and institutions, Ambassador Pontecorvo will advise the NATO Secretary General and the North Atlantic Council on the Alliance’s efforts in Afghanistan and relations with Afghan partners.

Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo previously served as Italy’s Ambassador to Pakistan for more than four years. In 2013-2015, he was the Diplomatic Adviser to the Italian Defence Minister, working on NATO political-military issues, including on Afghanistan, where Italy is one of the framework nations of the Resolute Support Mission. His previous posts included that of Deputy Head of Mission at the Italian Embassies in London and Moscow.