Turkey, Qatar to ‘act together’ to reopen Kabul airport

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani discussed ways to keep Kabul airport open and deliver further aid to Afghanistan.

Turkey and Qatar have raised the possibility of jointly operating Afghanistan’s Taliban-controlled Kabul airport.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press briefing on Monday with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani that they would “act together” in Kabul.

“Qatar and Turkey are continuously working with the interim government in Afghanistan to reach an agreement to open the airport (so it can function) normally,” Thani added.

The briefing took place as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Doha for two days of talks.

Erdogan’s visit comes as Turkey seeks to rebuild relations with former rivals in the energy-rich Gulf region, including the United Arab Emirates, whose crown prince last month visited Turkey for the first time since 2012.