US declares Afghanistan major non-NATO ally

Kabul. United States on Saturday declared Afghanistan its newest “major non-NATO ally.”  Now, the designation paves the way for close defence cooperation after US combat troops pull out from Afghanistan in 2014.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who arrived in Kabul on an unannounced visit to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai, disclosed the alliance to diplomats at the U.S. Embassy.
The designation allows the defense cooperation between the two countries, including expedited purchasing ability of American equipment and easier export control regulations. Afghanistan’s military, which is heavily dependent on American and foreign assistance, already enjoys many of these benefits. The non-NATO ally status guarantees it will continue to do so.
“I am going to be announcing formally with President Karzai in just a little bit that President Obama has officially designated Afghanistan as what’s called a major non-NATO ally of the United States,” Clinton said.
Afghanistan becomes the 15th such country the U.S. has declared a major non-NATO ally. Others include Australia, Egypt, Israel and Japan. Afghanistan’s neighbor Pakistan was the last nation to gain the status in 2004.
The declaration was part of a Strategic Partnership Agreement signed by Presidents Barack Obama and Karzai in Kabul at the beginning of May.
On July 4, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Crocker, and the country’s foreign minister announced that the two countries had completed their internal processes to ratify the Agreement, which has now gone into force.
From Kabul, Hillary is heading later Saturday to Japan for an international conference on Afghan civilian assistance. Donors are expected to pledge around USD 4 billion a year in long-term civilian support.
Hillary arrived in Afghanistan from Paris, where she attended a 100-nation conference on Syria.
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