New Zealand welcomes the US-Taliban Agreement which signals a renewed intent for lasting peace, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said today.

“This is a very welcome and important development. The path to peace in Afghanistan has been a long one, and while there is much more work to be done, this is a major step forward,” Mr Peters said.

“We are encouraged by the signalling of a start to negotiations between the Taliban and the Government of Afghanistan. We believe an enduring political solution can only be achieved through meaningful engagement of the two parties,” Mr Peters said.

“The US-Taliban Agreement will result in the partial drawdown of US personnel in Afghanistan, and we will now consider the implications of the agreement for New Zealand’s deployment to Afghanistan with Coalition partners, although it may take some time before these become clear,” Mr Peters said.

New Zealand has supported stabilisation and security efforts in Afghanistan since 1995, through development assistance and New Zealand Defence Force deployments on the ground.

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