 | |
 Afghanistan |  Turkey |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Afghan Embassy, Ankara | Embassy of Turkey, Kabul |
Ahmet Davutoğlu has described bilateral relations betweenAfghanistan andTurkey as "exemplary" even if the two countries do not border, but are close. Afghanistan was the second nation to recognize the Republic of Turkey, after the Soviet Union, on 1 March 1923.[1]
Both countries established education and cultural exchange programs. Turkish schools were established in Afghanistan. Furthermore, Turkish army officers assisted or even commanded the training of Afghan military members. The foreign relations of Afghanistan have changed so much politically, socially, and economically. Today the relations between the two countries go beyond giving military education.[citation needed] Afghanistan has an embassy in Ankara and a consulate-general in Istanbul, while Turkey has an embassy in Kabul. Turkey is a large aid provider to Afghanistan.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(February 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Afghanistan and Turkey relations span several centuries, as manyTurkic andAfghan peoples ruled vast areas ofCentral Asia and theMiddle East particularly theGhaznavids,Seljuks,Khalji,Timurid,Mughal,Afsharid andDurrani empires. Throughout its long history, manyOttoman officials were in close contact with Afghan leaders even up until the early 20th century when the Ottoman administratorAhmad Jamal Pasha went to Afghanistan to help modernize theAfghan armed forces.Ertuğrul Osman, the former head of theImperial Ottoman Dynasty, was married to Zeynep Tarzi Hanım Efendi, the daughter of Abdulfettah Tarzi, niece of the former King of Afghanistan,Amanullah Khan.
Afghanistan's heavy influence on theAtatürk regime further developed the brotherly relations between the two nations. Atatürk had supportedMahmud Tarzi and he had hopes of introducingAtatürkism into neighbouring Afghanistan. Following the death ofMustafa Kemal Atatürk,Afghanistan was deeply saddened, andAmanullah Khan, who was in exile inRome made a special attendance. Afghanistan's support for Atatürk is further shown by being the only nation, apart from Turkey, to have kept their flag at half-mast, to initiate a week of mourning.[2] Despite the strong visibility of theTaliban in the east of the country,Atatürk's legacy still remains intact within Afghanistan, and March 1 is celebrated to commemorate Afghanistan's recognition of theRepublic of Turkey.
Talks held inMoscow on 1 March 1921 resulted in the Turkey-Afghanistan Alliance Agreement and a period of intense cooperation. In 1937, shortly before the outbreak ofWorld War II, Afghanistan,Iran,Iraq and Turkey signed theTreaty of Saadabad.
Turkey has participated in theInternational Security Assistance Force (ISAF) since its inception with the deployment of 290- non-combatant support personnel in 2001 and has assumed command of ISAF II (June 2002 – February 2003) and ISAF VII (February–August 2005).According to Turkish Parliamentary DeputyBurhan Kayatürk; Turkey, which has the goodwill of the Afghani people, “can help win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people,” who, “like the Turkish soldiers,” and, “steer them away from militancy by strengthening the infrastructure in education, health and industry.”[3]
Turkish troops have not participated as combat forces but rather as logistical support and training Afghan personnel. Over 12,000 Afghan soldiers and police have been trained.[4]
Turkish construction firms have subsequently also become active in the country.[citation needed]Turkey is responsible for maintaining security aroundKabul, providing training for theAfghan Armed Forces andAfghan National Police and have undertaken a number of reconstruction projects in the fields of education, health, and agriculture in the province ofVardak.Turkey's support of theBonn Agreement and theAfghan Constitution Commission resulted in an official visit to Turkey byAfghan PresidentHamid Karzai on April 4, 2002, and made a reciprocal visit to Afghanistan byTurkish Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip Erdoğan a short time later.
.jpg)
Turkey launched a trilateral summit process between the two states and Pakistan in February 2007, following a visit by thenTurkish Foreign MinisterAbdullah Gül toIslamabad, as the backbone of its diversified foreign policy inSouth Asia and Pakistani deputyHumair Hayat Khan Rokhri confirmed that according to Gül “we are all brothers who need to support each other,” in order to, “bring security and stability to the region.”[5]
An April 1, 2009 meeting between Afghan and Pakistani leaders, conducted as part of the trilateral Ankara cooperation process, saw the three countries pledged to increase coordination between their political, military, and intelligence tiers in the fight against militancy and terrorism. Turkish Parliamentary Deputy Kayatürk has stated that, “It is the first time that the military and intelligence chiefs of Afghanistan and Pakistan have attended the trilateral summit, which is a reflection of the deeper commitment to work together.”[3]
Afghan and Pakistani parliamentary deputies came together inAnkara on May 5, as part of the trilateral Ankara cooperation process, where they met with the previousTurkish President Gül and new Foreign MinisterAhmet Davutoğlu to discuss a variety of issues. Head of the Turkish Parliament's Foreign Relations CommissionMurat Mercan stated;
“Today we need cooperation between our countries more than ever. I believe Turkey, having historical brotherhood relations with both, is in a special position to improve and deepen this cooperation. Turkey is confident that the cooperation to be established between Afghanistan and Pakistan will help a lot to solve the problems.”[6]
Vice-chairman of the Afghan Parliament's Foreign Relations Commission Mohammed Shakir Kargar responded by reaffirming this historical friendship built upon by Atatürk and thanked Turkey for its help with the post-Taliban restructuring. Mercan concluded, “We are finally on the verge of institutionalizing the trilateral Ankara cooperation process within the framework of parliamentary joint initiatives,” with follow-up meetings due to be held in Islamabad andKabul at four-month intervals.
After the very controversial 2009 election, President Karzai visited the President of Turkey in November 2009 to consolidate relations with other stakeholders in the region.[7] The president of Turkey affirmed that Turkey had to take an active part in stabilizing the region, taking up the torch of western activity in the region and specifically in Afghanistan.[7]
TheEmbassy of Afghanistan inAnkara (Persian: سفارت كبرای امارت اسلامی افغانستان در انقره) is thediplomatic mission of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan toTurkey. It is located atCinnah Street 88,Kavaklıdere,Çankaya. The Embassy was handed over to the Taliban in February 2025.[8]
The current Afghan ambassador to Turkey is Saniullah Farahmand since June 2025.[9]
In March 2021, Turkey said that very high-level discussions will take place in April 2021 in Istanbul about the issue of peace with Afghanistan, noting that Turkey will appoint a special envoy for Afghanistan.[10] In February 2023, Turkey, now officially known as Türkiye, agreed to reduce diplomatic mission in Afghanistan amid reports of ISIL managing to infiltrate Kabul's Green Zone, where the Turkish embassy in Afghanistan is located, with explosive-laden vehicles.[11][12]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Americas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | |||
| Europe |
| ||
| Missions | |||
| Multilateral | |||
|  | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Authority control databases: National |
|---|
