ANKARA: Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler, and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin will visit Islamabad next week to address escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Sunday.
Erdogan made the announcement while speaking to reporters on his flight returning from Azerbaijan. He revealed that the upcoming visit aims to facilitate further discussions on the strained relations between the two neighboring countries.
The announcement comes after the third round of Pakistan-Afghanistan talks in Istanbul ended on Friday without reaching any agreement. Negotiations, which had been mediated by Türkiye and Qatar, broke down due to disagreements over monitoring and preventing cross-border terrorism. Pakistani officials expressed frustration, with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declaring the talks “over” and entering an indefinite phase. He criticized the Afghan Taliban delegation for arriving without a clear agenda and being unwilling to sign a formal agreement.
A senior Pakistani security source confirmed that the talks had reached an impasse. Despite the setback, sources indicated that a fragile ceasefire between the two countries still holds, though Pakistan warned of a strong response if the truce is violated by Afghanistan.
The talks, which began on Thursday, included high-level Pakistani officials, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General, Lt Gen Asim Malik, and senior military and diplomatic representatives. The Afghan delegation was led by Abdul Haq Waseq, the chief of the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), and included key Taliban figures like Suhail Shaheen and Anas Haqqani.
As the talks stalled, there were reports that Pakistan’s delegation had left Istanbul, though some officials remained to continue discussions with mediators. Pakistan’s Foreign Office emphasized that the Pakistani delegation had presented clear, evidence-based demands to the Afghan side, particularly focused on curbing cross-border terrorism.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also weighed in on the situation, speaking with his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts, Ishaq Dar and Amir Khan Muttaqi. Araghchi expressed Iran’s readiness to help mediate and support dialogue between Pakistan and Afghanistan, stressing the importance of cooperation among regional powers to resolve the tensions and promote stability.
The situation remains tense, but diplomatic efforts, including the upcoming Turkish visit, continue as both Pakistan and Afghanistan work to navigate their complex relationship.
