A Turkish delegation will visit Pakistan next week for talks over tensions with Afghanistan, Turkish president announces
Negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Istanbul, held in the presence of mediators, ended on Friday without any agreement.
Istanbul (Web News)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, and Intelligence Chief İbrahim Kalın will visit Islamabad next week to discuss the growing tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
According to the Turkish news agency Anadolu, President Erdoğan made the announcement while speaking to journalists aboard his plane on his return from Azerbaijan.
Media reports said that the negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, held in Istanbul with mediators present, ended on Friday without any agreement, as both sides failed to resolve their differences over the mechanism for monitoring and preventing cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif also confirmed in an interview that the talks had concluded and entered an indefinite phase. The third round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan began in Istanbul on Thursday and was scheduled to last two days. The Pakistani delegation was led by ISI Director General Lt. Gen. Asim Malik and included senior officials from the military, intelligence, and foreign ministry.
The Afghan Taliban delegation was led by the head of the General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI), Abdul Haq Wasiq, and included Suhail Shaheen, Anas Haqqani, and Deputy Interior Minister Rahmatullah Najib.
These talks began following border clashes in early October that left several soldiers and civilians dead on both sides. Afterward, Turkey and Qatar decided to play a mediating role. The first round was held in Doha, resulting in a fragile ceasefire, while the second round—also in Doha—agreed that both sides would establish a mechanism to verify and monitor adherence to the ceasefire and continue dialogue.
The latest round in Istanbul was meant to finalize that verification and monitoring framework.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi spoke by phone on Sunday with his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts, Ishaq Dar and Amir Khan Muttaqi, respectively. According to the Iranian and Afghan foreign ministries, the discussions focused on bilateral relations and the Istanbul negotiations.
Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported that Abbas Araqchi offered every possible assistance to help resolve the differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan, expressing concern over the current situation. He said Iran was “ready to provide all possible support to reduce tensions between the two countries through continued dialogue and regional cooperation.”