IEA hoping for Kabul airport deal with Turkey and Qatar

While attending the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister told Anadolu Agency on Saturday that he is “hopeful” an agreement will be reached with Turkey and Qatar on operating the airport services in Kabul.

Stating that an agreement had been secured on “a number of issues regarding Kabul Airport” with these two countries, Amir Khan Muttaqi said some issues remained to be resolved, Reuters reported.

Speaking on the sidelines of Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Muttaqi said: “I hope we can come to an agreement and put it into practice as soon as possible.”

In January, Qatar, Turkey, and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) agreed on “several key issues” to operate the Kabul airport.

Flights were suspended at Afghanistan’s main international airport in Kabul after the IEA took over in August and US and NATO troops destroyed equipment and a radar system at the facility before withdrawing, Reuters reported.

In late December, diplomatic sources told Anadolu Agency that Turkey and Qatar agreed to jointly operate Kabul International Airport.

On Friday, senior officials from Afghanistan, Qatar, and the US held a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the forum in Antalya.

Muttaqi met Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani and Thomas West, US special representative for Afghanistan.

The three-day high-level forum in the resort city of Antalya brought together participants from 75 countries, including 17 heads of state, 80 government ministers, and 39 representatives of international organizations, Reuters reported.