DOHA: Qatar, Turkey and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led interim government agreed on “several key issues” to operate the Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“The delegations of the State of Qatar, the Republic of Turkey and the Afghan caretaker government concluded Thursday in Doha a tripartite meeting on the management and operation of Kabul International Airport,” a Qatari Foreign Ministry statement said.
“They agreed on several key issues on how to manage and operate the airport,” the ministry added.
The ministry said that the meeting in Doha came as a continuation of previous talks, the latest round of which took place in Kabul last week.
The final round of negotiations will take place next week, it added.
After the Taliban seized control of the country, Turkey offered technical and security assistance to operationalize Kabul airport. Keeping the airport open after foreign forces handed over control is vital to keeping Afghanistan connected with the world and maintaining an uninterrupted supply of aid for distribution.
The Turkish government has taken a pragmatic approach to the recent events in Afghanistan. Underlining that new realities have emerged in the country, Ankara said it would move forward accordingly while keeping communication with all relevant leaders open.
NATO member Turkey maintained its embassy in Afghanistan after Western countries withdrew following the Taliban takeover and has urged those countries to step up engagement. At the same time, it said it will only work fully with the Taliban if they form a more inclusive administration. -Agencies
