Senior Taliban delegation in Turkey

A high-level delegation from Afghanistan’s acting Taliban administration has arrived in Ankara for talks with Turkish officials. 

The visiting delegation is led by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister, and “will hold talks with senior Turkish officials on issues of mutual interest,” acting Islamic Emirate`s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said. 

Balkhi added that the invitation was extended by the Foreign Minister of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Balkhi said the two sides will discuss how to improve bilateral relations, trade, humanitarian aid, migration and air transport issues. 

This will be the first high-level contact between Turkey and the new administration in Afghanistan after the Taliban took power on August 15. 

The visit comes after Taliban leaders held a series of meetings with the United States, 10 European nations and European Union representatives in Doha, the Qatari capital, this week.

Establishing a more inclusive government

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a virtual meeting between the Group of 20 most powerful economies that the international community should keep the channels of dialogue with the Taliban open, to “patiently and gradually steer” them toward establishing a more inclusive government.

Last month, Erdogan said the Taliban’s current approach and their interim government is not inclusive but Ankara was willing to work with them if they formed a more encompassing government.

The Taliban say they want international recognition. They warn that weakening their government will affect security and spark an even bigger exodus of migration from the country.

The current Afghan government is comprised solely of Taliban figures, including several blacklisted by the United Nations. 

The Taliban overthrew Afghanistan’s former US-backed government in August after a two-decade-long conflict, and have declared an Islamic emirate governed under the movement’s interpretation of Islamic law.