Turkey hinted at the possibility of providing protection to Kabul International Airport following the withdrawal of NATO and US troops from Afghanistan next September.
Turkey, also a NATO member, has been providing protection for the airport, and Ankara said on Thursday it is willing to keep its troops there to keep up the operation.
For his part, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey-US contact on Kabul airport security will continue.
The Kabul airport operated under the Turkish troops during the past six years, he noted.
Turkey says it can extend its stay in Afghanistan if its financial, logistical, and security conditions are fulfilled. Turkey’s talks for meeting its conditions are ongoing with the US and some other countries, Akar added.
“There is no decision yet. But talks continue. Afghanistan is our brother. We want to do our best for their security and comfort as we have been doing,” he noted.
“The airport needs to be kept operational. We are aware of it. In case the airport cannot operate, embassies will have to be shut down, and Afghanistan will turn into an isolated country and seriously suffer in terms of its international relations,” Akar stated.
