Will Turkey and Qatar balance China and Russia in Afghanistan?
Turkey and Qatar are establishing themselves as the West's envoys in Taliban Afghanistan. Giuseppe Gagliano's analysis
Turkey and Qatar, two countries with a growing diplomatic and intelligence network within Afghanistan, are emerging as significant envoys to the Western world for the new Taliban government.
THE ROLE OF TURKEY AND QATAR (AND NOT ONLY) IN AFGHANISTAN
Their new role in the Central Asian country puts them in direct competition with China and Russia, which kept their embassies open in Kabul during last month's dramatic events. Three other countries with historically close ties to the Taliban, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are also important players in the new reality in the war-torn country.
WHAT SAUDI ARABIA AND THE EMIRATES HAVE DONE WITH THE TALEBANS
As a recent BBC article points out, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the only countries to recognize the Taliban government in the 1990s, when the group held the reins of power in Kabul. But they quickly broke off diplomatic ties with it following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. However, their contacts with some of the older Taliban leaders remain strong.
THE NEW ROLE OF TURKEY AND QATAR
Unlike the older generation, some of the younger Taliban leaders see Qatar and Turkey as important mediators and channels of communication with the outside world, and especially with the West.
It is no coincidence that the Taliban entrusted the reconstruction of the Hamid Karzai international airport in Kabul, which will no doubt soon be renamed, to Turkish and Qatari technicians, who were hastily transported to the Afghan capital last week.
THE DIPLOMATIC ROLE OF QATAR
In establishing trusting relations with the Taliban, Qatar relies on a long history of facilitating diplomatic connections between the militant group and Western powers. It should be remembered that it was in Doha that US and Taliban representatives negotiated the terms of Washington's exit in several meetings that spanned various administrations in the White House.
Over the past month, Qataris have used their ties to the Taliban to assist numerous Western nations, including the United States, in evacuating their citizens from Afghanistan.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/turchia-qatar-talebani/ on Tue, 07 Sep 2021 08:47:55 +0000.