DOHA —
Turkey and
Qatar on Monday
raised the possibility of jointly operating Afghanistan's Taliban-controlled
airport, as President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan set off for two days of talks in
Doha.
اضافة اعلان
Afghans and foreign nationals fled the
country through the facility as the hardline Islamist movement took power in
August following two decades of war.
But many are still seeking to flee the
conflict-scarred nation, which is facing the threat of winter food shortages
and economic collapse.
"We are going to act together,"
Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press briefing with his
Qatari counterpart ahead of Erdogan's arrival.
"Qatar and Turkey are continuously
working with the interim government in Afghanistan to reach an agreement to
open the airport (so it can function) normally," Qatari Foreign Minister
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani added.
Erdogan's visit comes as Turkey seeks to
rebuild relations with former rivals in the energy-rich Gulf region, including
the UAE, whose crown prince last month visited Turkey for the first time since
2012.
Simmering tensions between Ankara and its
Gulf rivals escalated after a
Saudi Arabia-led blockade on Qatar by Arab
countries in 2017.
Ankara backed Qatar in the dispute, and the
two countries have grown closer ever since.
Erdogan, whose country is reeling from a
fresh economic crisis and is searching foreign investment and trade, said he
wanted to use the trip to foster closer relations with all Gulf states.
"We are in favor of strengthening our
relations with all the Gulf countries," Erdogan told reporters at an
Istanbul airport before leaving for Doha.
"The blockade and sanctions imposed on
Qatar have been lifted as of the start of this year. Right now, solidarity is
being restored among Gulf countries," Erdogan said.
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