Had first talks with Taliban, still evaluating their offer: Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan

On Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey had its first discussions with the Taliban in Kabul, but that Ankara was still evaluating the Islamist group's offer to manage the Afghan capital's airport. The Turkish leader stated that the meetings took place in a military area of Kabul airport, where the Turkish embassy is now stationed. 
Addressing the reporters, Erdogan said they conducted our first conversations with the Taliban for 3.5 hours and will have the opportunity to lead such discussions again if required.

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Responding to internal criticism of Turkey's involvement with the insurgent group, Erdogan stated that Ankara had "no luxury" in the dangerous region to stand quietly by.
He said that one couldn't know what their expectations are or what our expectations are unless you talk about it. 
Turkey had planned to assist protect and manage Kabul's important airport, but on Wednesday, it began withdrawing soldiers from Afghanistan, indicating that Ankara had abandoned this aim.

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Erdogan stated that the Taliban now wants to manage airport security while also providing Ankara with the option of handling its logistics.
However, he stated that the suicide bombings that killed at least 85 people, including 13 US forces, outside the airport during the last days of an emergency evacuation attempt Thursday demonstrated the necessity of understanding the specifics of how the aviation hub will be guarded.
 

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• Afghanistan
• Kabul
• Taliban
• Turkey
• Recep Tayyip Erdogan