Turkish ambassador in Kabul meets Taliban’s acting deputy premier

By S. K. Khan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) – Turkey’s ambassador to Afghanistan met the Taliban’s acting deputy prime minister and assured of strengthening bilateral ties between Kabul and Ankara, an official statement said on Wednesday.

Ambassador Cihad Erginay and the Taliban’s Abdul Salam Hanafi “emphasized the strong bonds between Turkish and Afghan peoples and reaffirmed their commitments to further bolster the relations between our brotherly nations," during the meeting, the Turkish Embassy said on Twitter.

Erginay has also met with the Taliban’s Acting Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi in a bid to boost bilateral trade.

“They (Erginary and Azizi) expressed their joint commitment to boosting bilateral trade volume as well as increasing industrial output and discussed ways to achieve these goals,” the embassy tweeted.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip said last month Ankara was ready to help Afghanistan recover from years of conflict and strife if the nation also looks out for its own unity and solidarity.

“What concerns us as Turkey is that Afghanistan should recover swiftly … We are ready to provide all kinds of support for the unity and solidarity of Afghanistan as long as we get the same approach from it,” Erdogan had said.