World should act in unity on Afghanistan: Turkish FM

BELGRADE

Turkey has warned of a new refugee influx from Afghanistan due to the unsafe environment and called on the international community to act in unity and solidarity in tackling the growing problem that can create global implications, including terrorism.

“An unsafe environment can trigger a new wave of migration. Therefore, the international community should act in unity and solidarity on Afghanistan. Half of the population is in urgent need of humanitarian assistance,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told Serbia’s Politico newspaper in an interview on Aug 31. Çavuşoğlu was paying a visit to Serbia where he inaugurated the Turkish Consulate General in Novi Pazar.

On Afghanistan, Çavuşoğlu underlined the need for the international community “to increase its aid and support efforts. It is necessary to continue the work of the U.N. and other aid organizations uninterruptedly in order to deliver aid to the public.”

The Turkish top diplomat urged the Taliban that no terror groups, like al-Qaeda and ISIL, should find refuge in Afghanistan as this can create huge regional problems.

On the Taliban’s takeover, the minister cited that “there is a new reality” in Afghanistan. “But, now, we must focus on the establishment of peace, comfort and stability in Afghanistan. Primarily, a power vacuum should be avoided for the protection of the safety of life and property of the people. In this frame, we wish the formation of an inclusive government in which all the segments of the Afghan people will associate themselves with,” he suggested.

It will also important to move forward by taking lessons from the mistakes of the past, he said, adding this can contribute to the efforts for the installation of peace in the country.

Turkey ready to contribute

In this context, Turkey is ready to make contributions for the establishment of peace and tranquility through an inclusive government, Çavuşoğlu stated.

“In line with these deliberations, we envisaged that our Embassy in Kabul will continue its activities. Also, in line with the Taliban’s request, we are conducting negotiations to provide technical support to keep the Kabul airport open,” he said.

Ties with US, Russia

In other remarks, Çavuşoğlu evaluated Turkey’s ties with both the United States and Russia. Turkey’s allied relationship with the U.S. has always moved forward despite ups and downs and nowadays this tie is passing through a sensitive era, he stated.

“It’s obvious that our interests on significant regional and global matters overlap and that our multidimensional partnership is capable of making important contributions to the peace and stability in a wide geography, especially the Euro-Atlantic region, as in the past,” he said.

Turkey wants to resolve the disagreements with the U.S., on the YPG and S-400 problems, through diplomacy and dialogue and within the framework of the positive agenda, he said.

On Russia, Turkey always attaches importance to ongoing cooperation on bilateral ties and regional matters and on the grounds of mutual respect. Turkey has been cooperating with all actors who will make a positive contribution to resolving the problems beyond its borders, he said.

“Russia is an influential actor on the field in these regions. Making the constructive contribution of Russia is necessary for the solution of the problems in our region. Turkey’s positive relations with Russia make significant contributions to international and regional security. We think this needs to be better understood,” he suggested.