Putin and Erdoğan agree on bilateral coordination on Afghanistan

According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed in a telephone conversation to “strengthen bilateral coordination” on issues related to Afghanistan. Priorities will be on counterterrorism and the fight against drug trafficking, the Kremlin said Saturday.

After the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan, the militant Islamist terrorist organization Taliban has seized power. Many people in the South Asian country are in shock. Women and girls in particular are afraid of the Taliban and are forced to flee. However, this is proving almost impossible, as the radical Islamists are occupying all authorities and checkpoints. In the meantime, there are already first reports of executions.

Turkish leader Erdoğan, meanwhile, hopes for a “smooth transition to a new order” in Afghanistan. It is important that the Taliban “not repeat previous mistakes and keep their promises with an ethnically inclusive approach,” the Kremlin quoted the dictator as saying. “The new government to be formed in Afghanistan should be inclusive and representative of the diversity of the Afghan people,” Erdoğan told Putin, according to the Kremlin statement.

Erdoğan expresses support for Afghanistan

After the Taliban took power less than a week ago, Erdoğan pledged his support to the country. “With the Taliban taking control of the country, a new picture has emerged before us. We are adjusting our plans according to these new realities on the ground and continuing our negotiations accordingly,” Erdoğan said in a televised interview Wednesday. Turkey had previously said it could receive the Taliban’s leadership, he said, adding that the same was true today. “We are ready for any kind of cooperation to ensure the peace of the Afghan people, the welfare of our Turkish relatives living in the country and the protection of our country’s interests,” the AKP leader said. So far, 522 Turkish nationals have been taken out of the country, according to Erdoğan. Meanwhile, the Turkish government continues to maintain that the country will manage Kabul airport.

Phone call with Merkel

Angela Merkel (CDU) also spoke with the Turkish president on Saturday about the situation in Afghanistan. “The German chancellor and President Erdoğan agreed that the evacuation of people in need of protection from Afghanistan remains a top priority,” deputy government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said. Accordingly, Merkel and Erdoğan also agreed on close cooperation in supporting the work of international organizations in Afghanistan and its neighboring states, especially the UN Refugee Agency.