Turkey 'may take steps' to run Kabul airport in Afghanistan again: President Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, October 15, said that Turkey might run the Kabul airport, in a similar step that it had taken in the past in coordination with Qatar. The latter stressed that if the arrangement can be made by Afghanistan, Ankara can handle the Hamid Karzai International Airport’s operations and a deal can be struck by the three countries.

Speaking to the Turkish reporters after Friday’s prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan said that Turkey can provide “all manner of support” to the Afghan people, adding that the Taliban had earlier made a request to Ankara for humanitarian aid and help. Taliban has “made requests concerning the functionality of new process in Afghanistan,” Erdogan stated, referencing the Taliban delegation’s visit to Turkey earlier on Thursday. 

Erdogan told reporters that senior representatives from the Turkish Embassy in Kabul and the Taliban have held bilateral discussions, and the two sides have agreed to establish “healthy” ties. The Turkish leader, however, emphasised that even when the Taliban expressed a desire for Ankara to handle the Kabul airport during the talks, Turkey has not yet decided on the Taliban’s request.

Earlier, the Taliban had asked for Turkey’s help to dispatch technical support to resume the international airport’s operation, which Ankara had denied. “The Taliban made a request regarding the operation of Kabul airport. They say, ‘We’ll ensure security and you can operate it' but there is always a possibility of death and such things there,” Erdogan had told a presser in August ahead of his departure to Sarajevo, asserting some scepticism about Turkey’s involvement in Afghanistan. 

'Have historical brotherhood with Afghan people': Erdogan 

As the Taliban, once again reached out to Turkey, Erdogan told the Turkish press, “World leaders have not recognised the Taliban’s current position yet. They are in pursuit of recognition by other countries. We will provide the Afghan people with every kind of support in relation to these requests so long as the administration in Afghanistan adopts a just stance in its international relations as well as in its relations with us for the protection of the Afghan people’s rights,” Anadolu Agency reported.

Erdogan, furthermore added, “So long as this is the case, it would be out of the question for us to neglect them since we have a historical brotherhood with the Afghan people.” Since Turkey took an abrupt decision of withdrawing its troops from the Kabul airport, the Taliban has been demanding the Turkish government’s assistance. Turkey, meanwhile, has asked for security and other conditions from the Taliban in return. Turkish military forces were part of the NATO mission in Afghanistan and had hundreds of troops deployed at Kabul airport. Turkish forces pulled out of the region along with the US soldiers owing to security concerns.