Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday June 13 that Turkey would be "
the only reliable country
" to still have troops in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the Americans and NATO, and said he wanted to discuss it with Joe Biden on the sidelines from the NATO summit on Monday.
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"
America is preparing to leave Afghanistan soon and when they are gone, the only reliable country that will remain to keep the process going there will obviously be Turkey,
" he told the airport. Istanbul, before his departure for Brussels where the summit will be held. The United States is in the final phase of its withdrawal from Afghanistan, as are NATO troops, by September 11 - 20 years to the day after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed that Turkish officials told their American counterparts on Saturday that Ankara was ready to keep troops in Afghanistan, without giving further details.
They are “
delighted and happy about it.
We will be able to discuss the process for Afghanistan with them,
”he added.
According to press reports, Turkey is said to be ready to maintain troops to protect Kabul airport, the main exit route for Western diplomats and aid workers.
The Taliban said on Saturday that foreign forces should have "
no hope
" of maintaining a military presence in Afghanistan, and that the security of the embassies and the airport would be the responsibility of the Afghans.