Turkey turns to the Taliban to reach a deal on operating Kabul airport

Earlier this year Turkey’s President Erdogan had hoped to build leverage over the US, the EU, and NATO by reaching a deal with Washington, DC to take over and secure Kabul’s international airport after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

That deal is all but dead after the Taliban took over Kabul. Turkey is continuing its dialogue with all the sides in Afghanistan, however, including the Taliban. Ankara has been in talks with the Taliban about providing technical help to operate Kabul airport after the Aug. 31 deadline for troops to leave Afghanistan.

Dr. Aykan Erdemir joins The Greek Current to break down what Turkey’s potential engagement in Afghanistan might mean for Ankara and the West. 

Dr. Aykan Erdemir is the senior director of the Turkey program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former Turkish lawmaker.