Why is President Erdoan Emphasizing Turkey's Role in Afghanistan?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses outside the mosque after Eid prayers.

Despite opposition from the Taliban, Turkey has been pushing ahead with its plans to secure Kabul International Airport following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and is in talks with Washington to secure the airport.

Analysts say Turkey is key to maintaining stability and an international presence in Afghanistan, while the Taliban have previously warned that if Turkish troops remain in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of foreign troops, So jihad will be waged against him as an enemy and he will face serious consequences.

However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not seem to pay much attention to the threats in his comments and statements this week. He indicated that talks on security at Kabul Airport would continue.

Erdogan said Turkey was trying to see what kind of talks it could hold with the Taliban at the foreign ministry level or at its own level, and where those talks could take place.

NATO Turkish troops in Afghanistan

Ankara is relying on its historic ties with Afghanistan and its position as the only prominent Muslim member of NATO to reduce opposition to the Taliban. The Turkish contingent of about 500 troops stationed in Afghanistan has avoided any military confrontation with the Taliban.

However, Hussein Bachi, head of the Ankara-based Foreign Affairs Institute, who recently returned from the region, warned that Ankara was being more lenient in assessing its position, as the Taliban are all non-existent. We are determined to get the national forces out of there.

Hussein Bachi says any Turkish involvement in the airport could be disastrous for Turkey's foreign policy. The Taliban have said they do not like Recep Tayyip Erdogan and are against Turkey's military presence. The Taliban are determined to drive all foreign forces out of the country, and Turkey's presence is certainly undesirable.

Turkey is in talks with Washington for a Kabul Airport mission. Both sides have described their talks as fruitful. Tensions between the two NATO allies have been high for some time, since Turkey's deepening ties with Russia.

Turkey is looking to its close allies Pakistan and Qatar in connection with the Kabul Airport mission, which has close ties with the Taliban. But Hussain Bachi says that now that it seems the Taliban are close to gaining power, Pakistan and Qatar are losing their importance.

He says Pakistan, Qatar and Turkey are not on the Taliban's priority list. They may value Russia, China, the United States and, to a lesser extent, India. The Taliban say they will form their own government first and then negotiate.

Elhan Azgil, a Turkish columnist, says Ankara sees the Kabul Airport mission as an opportunity to improve relations with the Biden administration and seeks to prove that Turkey is an important ally for the United States, which it has not ignored. Can go

He says the process will not be without danger if Turkey insists on keeping its forces there. If Turkey accepts the Taliban's recent statement, it could be embarrassed.

According to Alhan Azgal, since Turkey does not have much to put pressure on the Taliban, there is a last-minute way to withdraw from talks with the United States over Kabul Airport, but with the United States. Turkey's bilateral relations could be affected.