There have been several months that negotiations on the operation of the Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport are going on after the Taliban took control of the country. As per the statement by the acting government, an agreement between Turkey and Qatar is to be expected soon.
According to ‘Khairullah Khairkhwa‘ the Taliban acting culture and information minister, the government of Turkey, Qatar and the Afghan is nearing an agreement, so hopefully, they will sign the agreement shortly it will be finalized.
When asked about the negotiations on the operation of Kabul airport with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he indicated that Doha and Ankara are currently the first choices.
Furthermore, they stated that their priority and preferences are Turkey and Qatar and also highlighted that if something goes wrong, they will only consider any other country.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt ‘Çavuşoğlu‘ had lastly revealed that Turkey, Qatar and the UAE could also be planning to operate the airport in a trilateral manner possibly.
‘Çavuşoğlu’ stated that during a press conference that they consider the year 2021, “Before the Taliban took over the power, we were leading on the Kabul airport military wing within the scope of NATO. A UAE company led the civilian part.”
Turkey has collaborated with Qatar to reopen the airport in the Afghan capital for international travel.
After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Turkey presented technical and protection services to operationalize Kabul’s airport. Keeping the airport available after foreign forces handed over control is important to keeping Afghanistan combined with the world and keeping an uninterrupted supply of aid for distribution.
The government of Turkey has taken a practical approach towards the events that happened in Afghanistan. Highlighting the new realities in Afghanistan, Ankara stated that they would move forward accordingly while keeping all relevant leaders open communication.
Member of NATO Turkey maintained their embassy in Afghanistan after the Western countries withdrew following the Taliban takeover and have encouraged those countries to step up engagement. And that time, they also stated that they would work fully with the Taliban if they formed a more inclusive administration.
In August, within only ten days, the Taliban had announced their control in Afghanistan in parallel with the United States withdrawal from the country after two decades of military presence.
Soon after the exit of forces, technical teams from Turkey and Qatar started getting the airport back to operational standards.