The Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Defense Affairs discussed with their Turkish counterparts the situation in Afghanistan, while the Turkish President stressed that his country's goal is the unity and recovery of Afghanistan as soon as possible.
A statement by the Turkish Ministry of Defense said that the talks of its Minister Hulusi Akar and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu with Qatari Defense Minister Khalid bin Muhammad al-Attiyah and Foreign Minister Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani came in a video meeting.
In turn, the Qatar News Agency stated that the talks reviewed the bilateral cooperation relations between the two countries and the follow-up to the latest security and political developments in Afghanistan.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs hold a video call with the Turkish Minister of Defense and the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs. During the call, they reviewed the bilateral cooperation relations between the two countries, and follow up on the latest security and political developments in Afghanistan.
#qena
— Qatar News Agency (@QatarNewsAgency) August 29, 2021
For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that his country's goal is the recovery of Afghanistan from its problems as soon as possible, and that Ankara is ready to provide all kinds of support to achieve this.
This came in a statement he made to reporters during his return to Turkey after his foreign tour, which included Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, during the past two days.
Erdogan said that "Turkey is ready to support the unity of Afghanistan, it is enough to see the desire of the Afghan parties to achieve this unity."
A Turkish soldier during the evacuation from Kabul Airport (Anatolia)
Embassy status
Regarding the Turkish embassy in Kabul, Erdogan said that it has been working for two weeks at the airport, but the employees returned two days ago to the embassy headquarters in the city center and continue their work from there.
He explained in this context that Turkey has alternative plans regarding all possibilities related to the security of its embassy in Kabul, and that its priority is to provide the security of its employees there.
In response to a question about the developments in the security situation in Kabul, Erdogan stressed the need to be careful about the situation in Kabul, especially after ISIS claimed the two bombings that killed nearly 200 people near the capital's airport.
In response to a question about the possibility of concluding an agreement with Afghanistan similar to the agreement concluded with Libya, Erdogan said, "It is possible to conclude a similar agreement. It is enough for us to find someone to negotiate with. Turkey's only goal is to solve problems."
It is noteworthy that on November 27, 2019, the former Libyan government (the Government of National Accord) signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkey to help it develop the capabilities of the military and security forces.
Two days ago, Turkey announced the completion of the evacuation of its citizens and forces from Afghanistan, with the exception of a small "technical group".