Turkey, Afghanistan to mark 100th anniversary of ties

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey and Afghanistan plan to celebrate their 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations on Monday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Afghanistan's Ambassador Amir Ramin will plant saplings "which symbolize the friendship between our countries," in the garden of the Afghan Embassy in Turkey's capital Ankara, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Cavusoglu will then address via video conference a celebratory reception in Afghanistan's capital Kabul attended by his counterpart Hanif Atmar.

Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Afghanistan were established with the signing of the Turkey-Afghanistan Alliance Agreement on March 1, 1921 and the Turkish Embassy in Kabul was the first diplomatic representation to be inaugurated in Afghanistan after it gained independence in 1919.

Also, Afghanistan became the second country to recognize the Turkish Grand National Assembly during Turkey's independence war.

"As we celebrate the centennial of the establishment of our diplomatic relations, we wish to further develop our cooperation in every aspect in this special year; hope that the ongoing violence in Afghanistan come to an end and lasting peace and calm will prevail in the country," the ministry added.