Turkey Expects Afghan Conference In Istanbul To Result In Resolution Roadmap - Cavusoglu

Turkey expects the upcoming Afghanistan conference in Istanbul to result in adoption of a roadmap to resolving the conflict between Kabul and the Taliban, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th April, 2021) Turkey expects the upcoming Afghanistan conference in Istanbul to result in adoption of a roadmap to resolving the conflict between Kabul and the Taliban, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

The Turkish-hosted Afghan peace conference is scheduled to take place from April 24 to May 4.

"We expect the April 24 conference to result in the development of a roadmap and discussion of a truce between the Afghan government and the Taliban. After that, we all � NATO, allies, and other countries � will begin to discuss the options to support Afghanistan, its development and reconstruction. Turkey has always said that we are ready to provide assistance if necessary," Cavusoglu said, as aired by Turkish broadcaster NTV.

A Taliban spokesperson said earlier this week that the movement would not attend any talks until all foreign military forces completely withdraw from Afghanistan.

Washington announced on Tuesday that US troops would be removed from Afghanistan before September 11, with the gradual pullout starting in May. NATO pledged to begin withdrawing its troops in coordination with the United States starting May 1.

The initiative to hold an Afghanistan conference in Turkey was put forward by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken� in March in a letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. Apart from conflicting parties, the Istanbul-hosted conference will also gather international stakeholders, including Russia, China, India, Iran and Pakistan. Afghan reconciliation talks have been previously hosted by Doha and Moscow.