KABUL - Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Afghanistan and Turkey on Monday, Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar said that Turkey has had a key role in the country’s reconstruction and joint counter-terrorism efforts post-2001.
Addressing an event to mark the occasion Atmar said he hopes Turkey will maintain its sincere cooperation with the peace efforts in Afghanistan.
“As we celebrate the centennial of the establishment of our diplomatic relations, we wish to further develop our cooperation in every aspect in this special year; hope that the ongoing violence in Afghanistan comes to an end and lasting peace and calm will prevail in the country,” Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said that so far, Turkey has made comprehensive contributions to Afghanistan both on a bilateral level and through the efforts of the UN and NATO.
“Turkey’s development assistance program for Afghanistan is currently one of the largest assistance programs towards a country,” read the ministry’s statement.
The diplomatic and political relations of Turkey and Afghanistan commenced on March 1, 1921 through the signing of Turkey-Afghanistan Alliance Agreement.
Afghanistan at the time became the second country to recognize the Turkish Grand National Assembly of the time, which had been struggling to counter aggressive invasions of the Allied Powers.
Meanwhile the Turkish Embassy in Kabul was the first diplomatic mission in Kabul. This distinguished friendship, extracted from kinship, brotherhood and sisterhood, promoted the relations through the following decades.
This comes after Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted a motion to parliament at the end of last year to extend the deployment of Turkish troops in Afghanistan for 18 months as part of NATO’s support mission, according to sources.
Turkey has about 1,200 soldiers in Afghanistan under the NATO mission.
“Turkey, which has deep friendship and brotherhood ties with Afghanistan, has always backed the unity, integrity and independence of Afghanistan,” the statement read.
The motion will be debated in parliament after December 18, as local media Anadolu Agency reported. (ATN)