Evacuation of its citizens from Afghanistan Turkey's priority: Erdogan

ISTANBUL/ANKARA

The Turkish president on Sunday talked with the British prime minister over the phone, and discussed the latest situation in Afghanistan, saying Turkey’s current priority is to evacuate its citizens.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Boris Johnson exchanged views on regional issues, especially the latest developments in Afghanistan and the issue of migration, along with areas that will improve Turkey-UK relations, according to a statement by Turkey’s Communications Directorate.

“President Erdogan stated that Turkey, whose current priority in Afghanistan he underscored was the evacuation of its citizens, could maintain the responsibility of ensuring the security of Kabul airport if appropriate conditions were created,” the statement said.

A new wave of immigration would be inevitable if Afghanistan and Iran do not take necessary measures, he noted, saying: “Everyone, especially European countries, should take on responsibilities in a sincere manner and the international community should come together for this issue before the Afghan irregular migration turned into a crisis.”

Erdogan stressed that aid should be provided to Afghans both on their territory and in neighboring countries “to prevent a migration originating from Afghanistan from causing new humanitarian tragedies.”

This migration pressure can be reduced through rising financial contributions of relevant UN agencies, especially the UN refugee agency, as well as more effective roles they would play.

The unexpected power grab by the Taliban earlier this week has triggered a rush to flee Afghanistan as many fears retribution.