Turkey, Qatar await Taliban's answer on running Afghanistan airports
According to officials, private Turkish and Qatari companies have agreed to jointly run five airports in Afghanistan, waiting to reach a final deal with the Taliban.
A memorandum of understanding was signed in Doha on operating Kabul and four other airports earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.
Officials disclosed that a joint agreement took place between private Turkish companies and Qatari companies, which are just waiting for the final deal with the Taliban, regarding running the said airports.
According to Cavusoglu, the United Arab Emirates also expressed an interest in joining the Turkish and Qatari companies, during Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed's visit to Ankara in late November.
It is worth noting that the UAE had operated a part of the Kabul airport before the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August.
"They said 'maybe we can run work trilaterally' but there was never any concrete proposal," said Cavusoglu, adding, "We haven't presented any proposal to them either. But operating the airport briefly appeared on the agenda."
Turkish and Qatari officials did not reveal which companies will be running the airports.
In a response to the increasing speculation on an imminent deal, Imamuddin Ahmadi, the Afghan civil aviation ministry spokesman, told AFP on Tuesday that "no deal has been signed yet".
Cavusoglu has asserted that they cannot reach a deal before the Taliban agrees that a trusted foreign operator secures the airport terminal while the Taliban protects its perimeter.
The Taliban had already refused Turkey's offer to provide security for the Kabul airport that represents a gateway for humanitarian aid to reach Afghanistan.
"Our teams went to Kabul... to present our proposals and then our friends in Doha continued the discussions," Cavusoglu said on Monday, adding that "it is natural for different countries to make bids in this process," and that the "Taliban administration had stated it would receive proposals from different countries."
Taliban: Turkey Can Play an Active Role in Afghanistan
In his official visit today to Ankara, Turkey, acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on October 17 that Turkey can use its potentials in different areas of Afghanistan.
Muttaqi also explained that Turkey can play an active role by investing in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
Topics that were put on the table were the official recognition of the Taliban movement and the Afghan assets frozen by the US, which Muttaqi considered as a “clear violation of the International Law” and a "usurpation of the Afghani people’s rights.”