Turkish government voices support for Afghan peace process

The head of Afghanistan’s peace talks, Abdullah Abdullah, visited the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Thursday for a series of meetings. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey supports reconciliation efforts in the South Asian country.

“Turkey's strong support for friendly & brotherly Afghan people's peace demand will continue,” Cavusoglu said in a tweet.

Abdullah chairs the High Council for National Reconciliation, which leads the Afghan government’s peace negotiations with the Taliban. The Afghan government has been in a state of conflict with the Taliban since the United States deposed the radical Islamist group in 2001.

The government and the Taliban are currently participating in peace talks in Qatar. Turkey is a strong ally of Qatar. The US government is also participating in the talks and the Trump administration plans to soon withdraw some US troops from Afghanistan.

Much of Abdullah’s visit focused on garnering support for the peace talks. Abdullah said in a tweet that he met with Turkish Religious Affairs Minister Ali Arbash to discuss the peace process. Abdullah also sat down with Turkish parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop.

“We are pleased with the start of the process of negotiations that form an important step to permanent peace between the Afghans,” said Sentop, according to the Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency.