Germany needs to renew its mandate to participate in the NATO mission in Afghanistan so as not to jeopardize the negotiation process between the Afghan authorities and the radical Taliban, German FM Heiko Maas said in an interview published on Saturday by the Funke editorial group.

The current mandate implies the participation in the mission of up to 1,300 troops from Germany. It expires on March 31.

On February 29, 2020, the US administration under former president Donald Trump and the Taliban signed a peace agreement in Doha. Thus, the United States, its allies, and the coalition have pledged to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan within 14 months. The Taliban, in turn, guaranteed that they would not use the territory of Afghanistan for actions that pose a threat to the security of the United States and its allies. On February 4, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the new administration had not yet made a decision on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

The Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper noted that the date set for the end of April for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to NATO is considered unrealistic.