ANKARA, August 27. /TASS/. The Taliban radical movement (outlawed in Russia) has invited Turkey to carry out civilian administration of Kabul's airport, while it will undertake to maintain security, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a news conference telecast on the NTV channel.
"The Taliban has made a proposal to us to manage Kabul's airport. They say they will maintain security, while day-to-day management will be our job. We have not made an answer yet."
He explained there was no clarity regarding the air hub's security.
"Incidents and casualties are possible there any moment. If something like yesterday's terrorist attacks happens again and claims people's lives when we are in charge, when we are the ones who run the facility, we will be unable to explain this in any way. At this point no decision in response to the Taliban's proposal is on the agenda," he said, adding that Ankara might agree to run the airport only when the necessary conditions were in place.
The Turkish leader said Ankara's contacts with the movement might be possible only if there was a good reason and the wish for this.
"Nobody has the right to tell us who we should talk to and who we should not negotiate with. We will not ask for permission," he said.
Evacuation from Kabul
Erdogan said that Turkish military personnel and civilians continued to be evacuated from Kabul. The country has moved its embassy staffers from the city to the area of the airport.
"We will be through with the evacuation of military personnel and civilians soon. We carried out thorough preparations and the process is successful. Our people are airlifted to Islamabad. There they board Turkish airlines to fly home, if they wish," he said.
On June 14, Erdogan said that his country was prepared to keep its military contingent in Afghanistan, if the US provided financial support after the pullout of NATO troops, due to be completed by September 11, 2021. At the June 14 summit NATO made a decision to provide transitional financing to keep Kabul's airport going in the light of its importance to stable diplomatic and international presence and in order to maintain Afghanistan's links with the outside world. The Taliban, which has established control of the country, instructed all foreign forces to leave Afghanistan by August 31. Otherwise their further presence will be considered as further occupation.