The Afghan Foreign Ministry issued a statement yesterday seeking to clarify Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan’s comments about keeping a Turkish military presence in Afghanistan, while a top Afghan government official welcomed Turkish security responsibility for the Kabul Airport in the future. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geran Hiwad said that top-level diplomatic meetings and a thorough observation of the transcript of Turkish President’s speech clearly indicated that Erdogan’s intention was to support the Afghan armed forces to achieve peace. “Turkey has always insisted on achieving a political solution in Afghanistan through peaceful means and negotiations. The purpose of these talks is to attract the support and cooperation of countries in the region, especially Pakistan, to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan.”
Abdullah Abdullah, head of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, endorsed the proposed Turkish takeover of security at the Kabul airport in an interview with Anadolu Agency — provided that Pakistan agrees. “What we are talking at the moment about the Kabul International Airport is: The United States, after start of the withdrawal of its troops as well as NATO troops, it started its discussions with the Turkish government at different levels, and negotiations on what to do about the Kabul International Airport and its security. It was raised also with the government of Pakistan, which had shown its consent with that issue. But meanwhile, the details of it have not been discussed between the government of Pakistan and Turkish government.
“And, personally, as a citizen of that country, I think, that’s important if Turkey place (itself) there (at the Kabul International Airport),” Abdullah concluded.
