Turkiye, Qatar sign deal to jointly operate Kabul airport

Turkiye and Qatar have agreed to jointly operate Afghanistan's Kabul airport, following talks between committees from both countries.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Turkish and Qatari companies to operate the airport in collaboration on the basis of equal partnership, diplomatic sources told Anadolu Agency on Thursday.

According to the sources, the MoU was signed during Turkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's visit to Doha for the seventh Turkiye-Qatar High Strategic Committee Meeting on December 7.

A joint committee consisting of Turkish and Qatari officials will visit the Afghan capital Kabul to discuss the deal with the interim government of the country.

READ MORE: How Turkiye emerged as a key player to run the Kabul airport 

Kabul airport

Earlier this month Turkiye and Qatar had raised the possibility of jointly operating the Taliban-controlled airport, as President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan set off for two days of talks in Doha.

Afghans and foreign nationals fled the country through the facility when the Taliban took power in August following two decades of war.

But many are still seeking to flee the nation which is facing the threat of winter food shortages and economic collapse.

"We are going to act together," Turkiye's top diplomat Mevlut Cavusoglu had told a joint press briefing with his Qatari counterpart ahead of Erdogan's arrival.

"Qatar and Turkiye are continuously working with the interim government in Afghanistan to reach an agreement to open the airport (so it can function) normally," Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had added.

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