“It is a good thing for the Bundestag to back up our soldiers in Afghanistan with such a large majority. After all, we need to complete this mission responsibly and in good order.
More specifically, this means handing over responsibility for security to the Afghans by the end of 2014, gradually reducing the number of international combat forces and achieving a political solution as well as domestic reconciliation in Afghanistan.
These are the elements of the international strategy which Germany was instrumental in shaping over the past two years. The Federal Government remains strongly committed to the consistent implementation of that roadmap.”