'Turkey in dialogue with all sides in Afghanistan, including Taliban'

ANKARA

Turkey is in dialogue with all sides in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, said the Turkish foreign minister on Tuesday.

"We would like to say that we welcome the messages given by the Taliban so far," Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters during a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman al-Safadi in the capital Amman.

Cavusoglu said he was referring to the group's messages on foreigners and diplomatic missions in the country, as well as Afghanistan's people. "I hope we see this in action as well," he added.

The Taliban entered the capital Kabul, taking over the de facto administration of the country amid a power vacuum left when Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani departed from the country on Sunday, he noted.

"Important figures like (top peace negotiator) Abdullah Abdullah and (former president) Hamid Karzai, who had previously been part of negotiations, are still in Kabul and are preparing for talks with the Taliban," added Cavusoglu.

He also praised Qatar for its role in the Afghan peace talks, underlining that Afghanistan needed "calm."

Turkey will continue to support Afghanistan's economic development, stability, and peace added Cavusoglu.

For his part, al-Safadi said his country hopes to see a unity government in Afghanistan.

"We hope to see a unity government in Afghanistan with the Afghan rivals agreeing on a mechanism that secures the peace and stability of the country," he said.

On relations with Ankara, he underlined that Jordan continues to cooperate and coordinate with Turkey in different fields, especially in the economy.

"Jordan seeks economic cooperation with Turkey that takes relations to the best possible level," added the foreign minister.

The Taliban have taken over Afghanistan after capturing the capital Kabul on Sunday and are in the process of establishing their government that had been removed after US-led foreign forces occupied the country in 2001.

Jordan's King Abdullah II received Cavusoglu later on Tuesday.

The two "had a productive meeting" and discussed "bilateral relations and regional issues," the Turkish foreign minister wrote on Twitter.

"We support the steps taken by King Abdullah towards the development of Jordan," he added, sharing a photo from the meeting.