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Turkish Defense Minister: "We closely follow what is happening in Afghanistan"

13 July 2021 14:29 (UTC +04:00)

"We closely follow what is happening in Afghanistan. We have deep historical and cultural relations with fraternal Afghanistan. We have done what is necessary from their security point of view, we will continue in the same form from now too," National Defense Minister of Turkey Hulusi Akar told journalists, APA reports citing Anadolu Agency.

H. Akar positively evaluated discussions between Turkey and the United States, both at the level of technical staff and defense ministers: “Works underway. There are other countries that want to help Afghanistan, we are in contact with them too. We try to continue the process both with our Afghan brothers, and NATO, European Union, and the international community.”

Turkish defense minister stressed that they agreed on some issues with his American counterpart: “As you know, Turkish president met with his American counterpart Joe Biden. I have also talked with my American counterpart. A framework has been drawn and work is underway in a certain area.”

Mr. Akar noted that Turkey's all activities in Afghanistan are for the benefit of the Afghan people: "We have been there for 20 years. We did not take part in hostilities. We consulted and carried out repair and construction work. We have been managing Hamid Karzai International Airport for 6 years. Our goal is to continue to contribute to the security and well-being of our Afghan brothers.

The airport needs to be open and be operated. All countries say so. If the airport does not work, countries will have to withdraw their diplomatic corps. Because they can't stay there without reliable communication. In such a situation, Afghanistan will become an isolated state and will face serious difficulties in terms of international relations. If the airport does not work effectively, what will those who want to go abroad for education, health, trade do? We are talking about a state. It will also have a negative impact on the stability, prosperity, and development of our Afghan brothers. "

Commenting on the growing influence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Turkish Defense Minister said that Tajikistan is closely monitoring the situation, including the border security of Uzbekistan: "We are considering a possible wave of migration to Turkey. We evaluate all probabilities. Thankfully, there are no problems at the moment."