NATO Secretary-General Ander Fogh Rasmussen announced yesterday NATO has concluded a reverse transit agreement with the Central Asian states of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, to withdraw its forces and equipment from Afghanistan in 2014. The announcement came as negotiations between US and Pakistan over the supply lines for Afghanistan have failed to break the deadlock. Pakistan blocked the supply routes after Salala incident in November last year that killed 24 of its soldiers.
Rasmussen stated, “These agreements will give us a range of new options and the robust and flexible transport network we need.” However, the northern routes via Central Asia are believed to be six times more expensive than the ones that pass through Pakistan.
