Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said that they would like to cooperate with Turkey, a country that has historical ties with Afghanistan.
Touching on the deep-rooted ties between the two countries, the Taliban spokesperson said they would like to cooperate with Ankara in many areas. He noted that Turkish engineers and other people working in Afghanistan have contributed to the country.
“We want to strengthen and boost those relations in the future,” Shaheen told Turkish Haberler.com news website.
Potential areas of cooperation could include education, construction and the economic sectors, through investments, which Shaheen said would create jobs for the people.
In response to a question about how the Taliban sees President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s foreign policy, Shaheen said every country has their own policies shaped in line with the best interests of its nation.
“We respect that,” he said, adding that each country is entitled to forming its own policies and that the Taliban wants to focus on mutual interests and goals.
He added that the Taliban will reciprocate the way Turkey approaches their rule. If the country approaches them as a "Muslim brother," then they will respond in a similar manner and welcome it.
“We consider Turkey as a brother Muslim country,” Shaheen said.
The Taliban spokesperson also said there has been progress with regards to the operation of Kabul airport amid ongoing talks between Turkey and Qatar and he said they hope the airport will be up and running in a few days.
Last month, the Taliban said they have asked all countries, primarily Turkey, to help the Afghan people and Afghanistan.
The Turkish government has taken a pragmatic approach to the recent events in Afghanistan. Underlining that new realities have emerged in Afghanistan, Ankara said it will move forward accordingly while keeping communication with all relevant actors open.
Turkey has been holding regular talks with the Taliban in Kabul, where it still has a diplomatic presence, about the conditions under which it could help operate the Afghan capital’s Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan welcomed the moderate statements made by Taliban officials and announced that Turkey is ready to cooperate with all parties to ensure peace and stability.
In response to the announcement of the interim government, Erdoğan said Turkey will closely follow developments in Afghanistan.
In his first comments on the Taliban's appointment on Tuesday of Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund as leader, Erdoğan said he did not know how long the new interim government's current makeup would last.
"As you know just now, it's hard to call it permanent, but an interim Cabinet has been announced," Erdoğan told reporters during a joint media appearance with visiting Congo President Felix Tshisekedi.
"We do not know how long this temporary Cabinet will last. Our duty now is to follow this process carefully."
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