US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met with Turkish officials in Ankara to discuss ways that Turkey and the United States can speed up the Afghan peace process, the American embassy in Ankara said in a statement on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th November, 2020) US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met with Turkish officials in Ankara to discuss ways that Turkey and the United States can speed up the Afghan peace process, the American embassy in Ankara said in a statement on Friday."In meetings with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal, Presidency Special Advisor Ibrahim Kalın, and other senior Turkish officials, Ambassador Khalilzad thanked Turkey for its ongoing commitment and long-standing support to the Afghanistan peace process," the statement said. "Khalilzad and Turkish officials also discussed how Turkey, in concert with others in the international community, can encourage the two sides to accelerate their efforts to negotiate a political settlement that ends the war in Afghanistan.
The US envoy updated Turkish officials on the latest developments in the negotiations and recent progress in the talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Both the visiting envoy and his Turkish counterparts expressed serious concern about ongoing violence in Afghanistan and agreed on need for all sides to find a path to permanently ending bloodshed, starting with an immediate reduction in hostilities.
Khalilzad and Turkish officials also discussed regional economic opportunities that could arise following a political settlement in Afghanistan, particularly projects that link Afghanistan and Central Asia to South Asia and beyond, the embassy added.
