Turkey’s role in post-2014 Afghanistan

Afghanistan has seen great tragedies, such as the Soviet invasion, civil war, a Taliban-led administration and US-led NATO operations over the last 35 years. Turkey has been one of the countries involved in the rebuilding of Afghanistan under NATO's scope in the post-2001 era. Needless to say, Turkey's relations with Afghanistan have not improved only after these tragedies. The good relations between the two countries go back to the time of Turkey's War of Independence, when Afghanistan became the first country that officially recognized the Ankara government. So in this context, the first agreements between Turkey and Afghanistan go back to the 1920s, and Turkey's foreign aid to Afghanistan also started during those years. Perhaps the most important factors that have sustained healthy bilateral relations since then were the socio-cultural and religious similarities between the two countries.

Being the only NATO member with a Muslim majority population back then, Turkey's presence in Afghanistan in the post-2001 era was of special importance. This sui generis position made Turkey an important actor in the eyes of the relevant regional and international powers on the Afghanistan issue. Although Turkey has never sent combat troops to Afghanistan, the responsibilities that it took under the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission have always been appreciated by the United States and other NATO countries. On the other hand, the civil initiatives that the non-combatant Turkish soldiers participated in and the activities of several Turkish nongovernmental organizations were also praised and respected by the Afghan government and the Afghan people. At this point, the non-military or civil nature of Turkey's foreign policy in the region put Turkey in a unique position in the context of Afghanistan.  Read More at  todayszaman
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