Turkey will engage in talks "if necessary" with a government that could be formed by the Taliban "for the stability and security of this country," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised address Thursday.
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Erdogan also called on European nations to shoulder the responsibility for Afghans fleeing the Taliban and warned that his country won't become Europe's "refugee warehouse."
"We need to remind our European friends of this fact: Europe – which has become the center of attraction for millions of people – cannot stay out of [the refugee [problem by harshly sealing its borders to protect the safety and well-being of its citizens," Erdogan said.
"Turkey has no duty, responsibility or obligation to be Europe's refugee warehouse," Erdogan said.
Erdogan said his country is home to 5 million foreign nationals – including 3.6 million Syrians who fled the civil war in the neighboring country and 300,000 Afghans, most of who had already entered the country far before the recent Taliban takeover. Around 1.1 million are foreigners with residence permits, he said.
Since the Taliban entered Kabul over the weekend, scenes of chaos have unfolded as thousands seek to leave, fearing a return to the austere interpretation of Islamic law imposed during the previous Taliban rule that ended 20 years ago.
Thousands crossed into Turkey in recent weeks, as the Islamist insurgents swept through the country en route to Kabul.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting, Erdogan said Europe needed to take responsibility for Afghans fleeing the country, adding that Ankara had taken measures along its borders with Iran – a key route for Afghan migrants into Turkey.
He also said Turkey could engage in talks with the new government to be formed by the Taliban to discuss "our common agendas."
However, in terms of "pan-Turkish" aspirations, which are a significant electoral factor for his Justice and Development party in general and for Erdogan in particular, Ankara does not fare well as a result of the Taliban takeover. If everything had gone according to plan, Afghani President Ashraf Ghani – who fled the country on August 15 only to emerge in the United Arab Emirates "on humanitarian grounds" – and Turkey would have relieved NATO of responsibility for security at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
When it comes to Afghanistan, however, plans and reality are often two completely different things. The new Taliban government and the chaos at Hamid Karzai International Airport are now facts on the ground. Within Ankara's framework of trying to "calibrate a new course" in terms of its foreign policy, Erdogan on Wednesday hosted UAE National Security Adviser Tahnoun bin Zayed al Nahyan. It was a significant meeting that solidifies Ankara's budding ties with Abu Dhabi.
"If Erdogan manages to take control of the airport in Kabul regardless, then he can say to NATO, 'Here, look, a Muslim member of the alliance is capable of launching an initiative in coordination with the Taliban,' and thus prove [Turkey] is an asset," Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, an expert on contemporary Turkish politics and foreign policy, told Israel Hayom.
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According to Yanarocak, "Afghanistan's location is significant because it is close to the Turkish 'stans.' The moment Turkey takes control of the airport, if it indeed manages to do so, there will be a permanent Turkish presence in Russia's backyard – in addition to Nagorno-Karabakh. Beyond that, such a presence would be extremely important in terms of intelligence gathering for Turkish intelligence services."
