Turkey, Qatar in talks with Taliban to run Kabul airport

Photo: AA

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Turkey and Qatar are in talks with the Taliban to jointly operate airports in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, as well as airports in several other cities, according to Tolo News, the country's official news agency.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Friday (December 24) that the parties had reached a preliminary agreement on the issue.

A joint technical delegation of Turkey and Qatar arrived in Kabul on Thursday to discuss the agreement, Tolo News reported.

"The contract will be about the tower, ground handling and some more technical sections," the agency quoted the spokesperson of the Taliban's Ministry of Transportation and Aviation, Imamuddin Ahmadi, as saying.

The agreement also included the airports in Balkh, Herat, Kandahar and Khost provinces, according to the official.

After the agreement is signed, international flights will be operational for 24 hours a day in Afghanistan, he said.

About the damage that occurred in the airport during the evacuation in August when the Taliban took over the capital, Ahmadi said, "No serious problems exist now, readiness has been taken for flights, and some remaining problems will be resolved after the agreement."

Having run the Kabul airport for the past few years, Turkey has tried to convince the Taliban to continue its operations in the airport following the group's takeover. (RT/VK)