German Foreign Minister offers Turkey help in operating Kabul airport

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has offered Turkey support for the operation of the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul after the withdrawal of U.S. troops. The assistance could be of a financial and technical nature, the SPD politician said after talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Antalya. Maas had left on Sunday for a four-day trip to five countries that are among the first ports of call for refugees to reach safety by land. Other destinations on the trip include Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan before heading to Qatar.

Turkish intelligence holds talks with Taliban

The civilian part of the airport is badly damaged. The Turkish intelligence service MIT is currently holding talks with representatives of the militant Islamist Taliban about further operations. Turkey had previously shown interest in securing Kabul Airport with soldiers and taking over its continued operation. The airport was also secured by Turkish forces during the NATO mission, and they also participated in the service for the flight operations. Regime leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently also promised the Taliban help in building up the infrastructure in Afghanistan.

Turkey not ready to take in more refugees

However, the government in Ankara rejects the admission of refugees from the country. Turkey has already “assumed its ethical responsibility,” Çavuşoğlu said yesterday in Antalya. Erdoğan had also made it clear several times recently that he was not prepared to take in any more refugees. Turkey is not the refugee camp of Europe, he said last week. To prevent further migration, Turkey is currently expanding its border with Iran into a fortress.

Maas supports proposal for UN-controlled safe zone

Meanwhile, Heiko Maas also signaled support for a proposal by France and the United Kingdom to establish a security zone in Kabul. French President Emmanuel Macron had told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper that the zone should be under the control of the United Nations and allow humanitarian operations to continue. The proposal is also to be discussed this Monday at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.