US claims to bring democracy, wreaks havoc in countries: Şentop

Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop criticized certain Western nations that claim to invade countries to bring democracy only to make the regions more unstable before leaving.

“They have turned various regions into hubs of instability after claiming to bring democracy,” Şentop told reporters in Vienna, adding that Afghanistan was the first example, followed by Iraq, Syria, Libya and other places.

Noting that people are forced to leave their homes as a result of conflicts created by countries like the U.S., the parliament speaker said Turkey is then forced to assume responsibility for the crisis and accept migrants and refugees. Although Turkey cannot completely close its door to asylum-seekers fleeing conflict, Şentop said no country in the world has the resources to take care of all migrants and refugees forever.

He continued by stressing that it is a global crisis that requires global contributions to be solved: “Everybody needs to shoulder responsibility and do their part.”

Şentop added that Turkey does not intend to economically exploit Afghanistan, unlike other countries, noting that the two countries have over a century of cultural and historical relations.

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 would move forward accordingly while keeping communication with all relevant actors open.

First, 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.

Erdoğan said that the Turkish military’s presence in the country would strengthen the new Afghan administration’s hand in the international arena and that Turkish troops would protect Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport and ensure evacuations continued safely and peacefully.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also stated that Turkey would conform to the international community on its position on the recognition of the new government in Afghanistan.

It took the Taliban just over a week to seize control of the country after a lightning sweep that ended in Kabul as government forces, trained for two decades and equipped by the United States and others at a cost of billions of dollars, melted away.