Turkish Foreign Minister: Before The Taliban Took Over, We Managed Kabul Airport Militarily, UAE Civilly

JAKARTA - Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can operate Afghanistan's Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport on a trilateral basis, Abu Dhabi told Ankara, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cavuşoğlu revealed Monday.

"Before the Taliban took power, we managed the military side of Kabul airport within the scope of NATO. The civilian part was led by a UAE company," he said in response to Daily Sabah in a press conference quoted on 27 December.

He pointed out that the company operated there for about a year and a half.

"The Taliban government has said it will accept proposals from various countries," he said.

"We made a deal with Qatar," he highlighted, referring to Ankara and Doha's efforts to operate the airport. Recently, a technical delegation from Turkey traveled to Doha to coordinate with the Qatari side.

"Our friends in Doha continue to discuss what can be done if a joint company (Qatar and Turkey) takes over the operation of the airport."

However, he stressed that Qatar and Turkey have not yet reached an agreement with the Taliban. According to him, it is normal that various countries make offers during the process.

The UAE's de facto ruler, Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ), paid an official visit to Ankara last month. Foreign Minister Cavuşoğlu said the issue was briefly discussed on the sidelines of the meeting.

"They (UAE) said we can operate the airport trilaterally," he said.

Neither side made any concrete offer to the other on joint operations, he added, pointing out that similar discussions with Doha did not take place between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Cavuşoğlu said on Monday, Turkey could jointly operate five airports in Afghanistan with Qatar after talks in Doha and Kabul.

Previously, Turkey had worked with Qatar to reopen the airport in the Afghan capital for international travel. However, repairs were needed before commercial flights could resume.

To note, after the Taliban took control of the country, Turkey offered technical and security assistance to operate Kabul airport. Keeping the airport open after foreign forces give up control is critical to keeping Afghanistan connected to the world and maintaining uninterrupted aid supplies to distribute.

The Turkish government has taken a pragmatic approach to recent events in Afghanistan. Underlining that a new reality has emerged in Afghanistan, Ankara said it will move forward accordingly while keeping communication with all relevant leaders open.

As a NATO member, Turkey maintains its embassy in Afghanistan after Western countries withdrew following the takeover of the Taliban and has urged those countries to step up engagement. At the same time, it said Ankara would work fully with the Taliban if they formed a more inclusive government.