Turkey, Qatar to jointly operate Afghanistan’s five airports

Turkish and Qatari private airlines have agreed to operate five airports jointly in Afghanistan, despite the fact that a final agreement has not yet been reached with the Taliban government. The United Arab Emirates has not deviated from these agreements, as it has agreed with the Turkish side to operate part of the Kabul airport in a civilian manner.

Turkey and the UAE have opened a new chapter of relations based on cooperation rather than confrontation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said: “A memorandum of understanding was signed in Doha earlier this month, including the management of Kabul airport and four other airports in Afghanistan”, Ahval reported.

The Turkish Foreign Minister pointed out that the United Arab Emirates, which managed the civilian part of Kabul airport before the Taliban takeover last August, is also interested in joining Turkish and Qatari airlines in the airport management process.

He pointed out that the issue was discussed during the visit of the Crown Prince of Abou Dabi, Sheikh Mohammed ben Zayed, to Ankara in late November.

Cavusoglu said: “They said we could coordinate in a tripartite way, but there was no concrete proposal”, he said. “We did not make any proposal to them either, but the issue of a brief operation of the airport was put on the agenda”.

Turkish and Qatari officials did not reveal many details about the memorandum of understanding, refusing to name the companies that will take part in managing the airports.

In response to mounting speculation that an agreement may be imminent, Taliban Transport Ministry spokesman Imam al-Din Ahmadi said on Tuesday: “No final agreement has been reached yet”.

The Taliban rejected Turkey’s offer to provide security at Kabul airport, which provides a route for civilians wishing to leave the country, as well as a gateway for humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

Cavusoglu said that no deal could be reached until the hardline Islamist movement allows a reliable foreign operator to secure the airport terminal while the Taliban secure its perimeter.

The Turkish minister said on Monday: “Our teams went to Kabul to present our proposals, and our friends in Doha will continue the talks”.

He added: “Naturally, different countries will assist in this process, and the Taliban administration has announced that it will receive suggestions from different countries”.