Taliban Hopeful for Deal on Kabul Airport with Turkiye, Qatar

ANTALYA, Turkiye – Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister has said that he expects an agreement with Turkiye and Qatar on operating the Kabul airport.

Amir Khan Muttaqi said that agreement had been secured on “a number of issues regarding the Kabul Airport.” However, a few outstanding issues still had to be resolved.

Speaking on the sidelines of Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Muttaqi said: “I hope we can come to an agreement and put it into practice as soon as possible.”

In January, Qatar, Turkiye, and the Taliban-led interim government in Afghanistan agreed on “several key issues” to operate the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul.

Flights were suspended at Afghanistan’s main international airport in Kabul after the Taliban took over last August and US troops destroyed equipment and a radar system at the facility before leaving the country.

The Taliban returned to power last August to form an interim government in Afghanistan after the complete exit of foreign forces from the country.

The return of the Taliban marked the end of a 20-year-long bloody war that saw tens of hundreds of innocent Afghans killed in the armed conflict.

“Our message to the whole world is that we want cooperation and good relations with everyone,” he added. “I hope the international community responds positively to these expectations.”

On forming a new government in Afghanistan, Muttaqi said he could not give “an exact date for the establishment of an inclusive government.”

He also called on all Afghan opponents who left the country to return to Afghanistan.

“Neither the US president (Joe Biden) nor anyone can bring the wealth of the oppressed Afghan people under their own control,” he added.