The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan his country and government want a durable, just and implementable peace in Afghanistan as he met with Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in Istanbul on Friday.
“Afghanistan and Turkey have had time-tested relations throughout the history and peace and stability in Afghanistan is highly crucial for Turkey,” Erdogan said as quoted in a statement by Abdullah’s office on Saturday.
Erdogan said his country welcomes the inauguration of the new phase of the parliament in Afghanistan and sees it as another step towards strengthening democracy in Afghanistan.
“Turkey will always remain beside the Afghan people and the Afghan government and we will continue our cooperation,” Erdogan said. “Turkey supports the ongoing efforts for peace in Afghanistan and is in favor of a durable, just and implementable peace in Afghanistan and stresses the need for all parties’ commitment in this regard.”
The Turkish president said his country supports free and fair elections in Afghanistan and sees it as a step towards strengthening democracy in the country.
Erdogan, meanwhile, said the trade and transit volume is not “satisfactory” and that it should increase.
“Turkish companies have invested in Afghanistan and this trend continues. We hope that Afghanistan will create more environment for these companies’ investment and we are ready to regulate our exports and imports based on Afghanistan’s needs,” he added.
Meanwhile, Abdullah said the Afghanistan-Turkey relations are based on friendship, partnership and religious, cultural and historical values.
He called Turkey a strategic partner of Afghanistan.
“Serious efforts are ongoing by the United States to achieve peace in Afghanistan. As part of these efforts, the US and Taliban talks are ongoing,” Abdullah said. “The Afghan government and people are committed to a just peace, but the Taliban is still a hurdle for peace because they are not ready for intra-Afghan and inclusive talks with the participation of the Afghan government and the people.”
He said that the Afghan government is committed to holding a transparent and trusted election and that efforts are underway for this by the Independent Election Commission.
Abdullah said he welcomes Turkey’s willingness for increasing its investment in Afghanistan and vowed to take practical steps through relevant offices in this regard.