KABUL - Germany, the US, Australia, China and Japan reassured their long-term support toward the Afghan government at a recently-concluded security conference in Munich, Germany, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.
The 48th Munich Security Conference held on Feb. 4 was attended by more than 10 heads of state and defense and foreign ministers from some 70 countries to discuss new security threats in the face of shrinking economic resources.

The annual session discussed security issues in Syria, Iran and Egypt, with uncertainty over the future of the Middle East and the implications of the financial crisis in Europe high on the agenda.
Among those in attendance were US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, as well as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

On the sidelines of the two-day conference, Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmay Rassoul met with his foreign counterparts and discussed with them long-term support of the international community with Afghanistan and the security transition process, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle assured Rassoul his country was committed to support Afghanistan beyond 2014, the deadline for foreign soldiers' withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"This is the message of our Parliament and the government I want you to convey the President of Afghanistan," the statement quoted the German foreign minister as saying.

Australian foreign minister also assured Rassoul of his country's continued support toward Afghanistan.
Kevin Rudd said Australian support with Afghanistan would remain focused on development of the war-torn country.

The Afghan foreign minister also met the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, who reassured her country's long-term support with Afghanistan. She said the recent remarks by the Defense Secretary regarding ending the combat mission in Afghanistan in 2013 were incorrect.