Erdoğan says he may host Taliban leader
Turkey is working to set talks with the Taliban, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said yesterday (August 11).
"Turkey's relevant institutions are currently working until we have some talks with the Taliban. Maybe even I can be in a position to receive the person who will be their leader," Erdogan said during a joint TV interview broadcast live on CNN Turk and Kanal D.
Erdogan said that he earlier spoke with Qatar's leader and they discussed "where can we stop the steps taken by the Taliban and where can we take a step towards peace."
If the Taliban is not taken under control, "it will not be possible for us to achieve peace in Afghanistan," he asserted.
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Violence has escalated across Afghanistan as US-led foreign forces have almost withdrawn after 20 years.
The Taliban have rapidly captured several smaller administrative districts, and are now targeting towns and cities. They have captured nine provincial capitals from government forces in six days.
US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he did not regret his decision to pull US troops from Afghanistan.
Biden maintained that his plans to exit militarily have not changed despite the group's battlefield successes, emphasizing that Afghanistan's leaders must come together to "fight for themselves, fight for their nation."
Refugees coming from Afghanistan
About refugees coming from Afghanistan, Erdogan said that Turkey is raising walls along borders with both Iran and Iraq. "The walls rising there are to prevent these irregular migrants from entering our country."
A significant part of the irregular migrants held are deported to Afghanistan by Turkish institutions, he added.
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Erdogan stressed that Turkey is not a place where "anyone frequently stops by."
"We evaluate all these and we take our steps accordingly," he said.
He asserted that there was not a flow of refugees from Afghanistan as it is "exaggerated on social media." (VK)