By Janet Ekstract
ISTANBUL (TURKISH JOURNAL) – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Jordan on Tuesday, said that his government is in talks with all parties in Afghanistan including the Taliban. The Turkish foreign minister said: “Important figures like (top peace negotiator) Abdullah Abdullah and (former president) Hamid Karzai who had previously been part of negotiations, are still in Kabul and are preparing for talks with the Taliban.” Cavusoglu commented that he views the Taliban messages expressed so far in relation to foreigners and diplomats as positive. He added that Turkey will continue to support economic development, stability and peace in Afghanistan. His Jordanian counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates – HE Dr. Ayman Hussein Abullah al-Safadi expressed that Jordan is hopeful about a unity government in Afghanistan. As he explained: “We hope to see a unity government in Afghanistan with the Afghan rivals agreeing on a mechanism that secures the peace and stability of the country.”
Meanwhile, Turkish security sources told the press that Turkey has canceled plans to guard and operate the Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul since NATO forces withdrew due to chaos that ensured after the Taliban took over. The security sources spoke to Reuters and said though Turkey has one of NATO’s largest military forces – it is now offering technical and security assistance if the Taliban request it. Initially, the Taliban had warned Turkey about remaining in the country to safeguard the airport. According to a top Turkish official, the Taliban have not asked Turkey to leave.
At a news conference in Jordan, Cavusoglu said: “We are keeping up dialogue with all sides, including the Taliban.” The foreign minister explained that Turkey has 600 troops in Afghanistan and will be discussing airport security and the transition in Afghanistan with the U.S. and other international parties. He added: “(Afghan parties) will negotiate all these issues amongst themselves – who will be in the transition government, what kind of government will there will be…We will discuss all of these but the country needs to calm down now.” In addition, a senior Turkish official said talks with the Taliban continue and that it’s possible that Turkey might remain at the airport if the Taliban agree to it. The official added: “We don’t know if the Taliban have enough personnel (to run the airport). They may ask us for technical support. Our presence at the airport may continue in that framework.”
The official who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, indicated that Turkish officials are meeting “the Taliban’s military officials through Pakistan and we are in contact with the political wing through Qatar.” He added that the Turkish intelligence agency was involved in making the contacts and commented: “The plan to take control of Kabul airport following the U.S. withdrawal was dropped but there is no approach for us to leave immediately. No such message was received from the Taliban for now.”
