Afghan economy needs to be revived to prevent refugee crisis: Erdoğan

ASHGABAT

Afghanistan’s economy should be revived to prevent a refugee crisis that will affect our entire region, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Nov. 28, speaking at the 15th Leaders’ Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization held in Turkmenistan.

“It is important to establish permanent peace and stability as soon as possible in Afghanistan, which is facing a serious humanitarian and economic crisis. It is our common wish and goal to develop an administration approach that will meet the expectations of all segments of the country,” he said.

Turkey supports efforts to keep basic government structures functional in Afghanistan, including critical sectors such as health and education, the president said

The Turkish Red Crescent and Turkey’s non-governmental organizations increased their humanitarian aid activities against the growing danger of hunger and famine in this country, he added.

He also called for ending unilateral sanctions against Iran for the sake of the region.

“Ending the unilateral sanctions on Iran and returning to the comprehensive joint action plan of all parties and reassuming their obligations will contribute to the economic prosperity and stability of our region,” Erdoğan stated.

Pointing out that the importance of regional and global transportation networks has emerged once again amid the pandemic, Erdoğan said, “Our efforts to develop the transportation infrastructure in our region and to revive the modern Silk Road continue unabated.

The Caspian Crossing East-West central corridor initiative and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, led by Turkey, are the most concrete manifestations of their efforts in this context, he said.

Erdoğan also stressed the importance of the Zangezur corridor, which will give Azerbaijan unimpeded access to the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, and said the corridor would establish a direct highway connection between Turkey and the region.

Emphasizing that the “liberation of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories” also opened the doors to the establishment of lasting peace and stability in the region, Erdoğan said, “The projects that Azerbaijan has implemented one after the other to increase prosperity in the region are commendable.”

These steps will support normalization efforts in the region, he said, noting that Turkey would continue to stand by Azerbaijan in this process.