Sir Nicholas Kay KCMG has been appointed as NATO’s next Senior Civilian Representative (SCR) in Afghanistan, as confirmed by a press release by the British embassy in Kabul.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the appointment at a NATO Foreign Ministers meeting on 5 December 2018. Sir Nicholas will take up his appointment in March 2019.
The Senior Civilian Representative acts as the primary link between the Afghan Government and NATO, and helps to ensure the success of the NATO Resolute Support mission which provides training, advice and assistance to Afghanistan’s security and police forces, according to the statement.
UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said with regards to the appointment that “Sir Nicholas Kay will bring a wealth of experience on the political developments in Afghanistan in his new role as NATO’s Special Civilian Representative and I would like to thank him for his tireless work as the British Ambassador to Afghanistan.
Despite the violence, we have seen tentative steps towards a peace process beginning to emerge and the UK, along with our international partners, stands firmly with the Afghan government to support their efforts to build peace”.
Sir Nicholas, on being appointed for the prestigious position also expressed, “It is a great honour to be entrusted by Secretary General Stoltenberg to be NATO’s SCR in Afghanistan. I pay tribute to the remarkable work of Ambassador Zimmermann, the outgoing SCR. My top priority will be to lead NATO’s political and diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict in Afghanistan. I shall work closely with the Government of Afghanistan and the international community to make 2019 a year of progress towards sustainable peace in Afghanistan.”
