ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has terminated the mission of diplomats appointed by Afghanistan’s former pro-Western government, the outgoing diplomatic team said, in a move that paves the way for the Taliban to appoint their own envoys.
The departing team said on X that it had handed over the embassy in Ankara to Turkey's Foreign Ministry on Thursday. The unusually strongly-worded statement said that the decision by the Turkish government to end the mission was the result of pressure by on the diplomats and Turkish officials.
"The interim administration of Afghanistan announced the end of the term of office of the ambassador and some diplomats in November 2024, and the duties of the ambassador and relevant diplomats have ended. The embassy continues its activities," a Turkish official, who spoke on the customary condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press.
“In order to alleviate the hardships experienced by the Afghan people, we are pursuing a policy of engagement in dialogue toward (Afghanistan) with the interim administration in Afghanistan,” the official added.
The development marks the latest for the Taliban, which has moved to take control of the country’s embassies and consulates overseas after more than . The takeover of diplomatic missions in Turkey pushes that number to more than 40.
“Due to the failed attempts of the Taliban to gain control of the embassy and the continuous pressure on the diplomats and employees of this embassy, as well as their pressure on the Turkish government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey has recently decided to terminate the mission of the ambassador and diplomats of this embassy,” the departing team said.
The statement said Turkey had made the decision to be able to keep open the country's embassy in Kabul, and consulates in Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat.
In Kabul, the Taliban-led Foreign Ministry said that “a change in the diplomatic staff in the diplomatic missions of countries is a normal practice.”
“The Embassy of Afghanistan in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, continues its activities as usual and is at the service of its citizens and other clients,” Zakir Jalali, a senior ministry official, said in a statement.
Last July, the Taliban said it no longer recognized diplomatic missions set up by the former Western-backed government. Most countries still haven't accepted the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers.
Despite the Taliban and the West being at loggerheads, mostly because of on women and girls, Afghan authorities have established ties with major regional powers including , Russia, and nations.
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Robert Badendieck in Istanbul contributed.
