What is Turkish President Erdogan worried about in Afghanistan?

Posted on 14th Oct 2021 by rohit kumar

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking on the situation in Afghanistan at the G20 leaders' conference, has proposed the formation of a working group on Afghanistan in the G20.

 

With this, Erdogan has said that Turkey is ready to lead this working group. However, at the same time, Erdogan also made it clear that he was not ready for refugees from Afghanistan.

 

He said that there are already 3.6 million Syrian refugees in his country and Turkey will once again not be able to cope with a new influx of refugees. Turkey currently has the largest refugee population in the world.

 

Turkey has further tightened security along its borders and has warned that it will not accept Afghan refugees.

 

How Afghan refugees are coming to Turkey

 

According to a BBC report, Turkish security forces are campaigning against those who are secretly entering Turkey by crossing the border. Apart from this, those smugglers also want to enter Turkey, who have fled due to the fear of the Taliban.

 

Most of the refugees want to enter this country from the Van province of Turkey. This province is located on the border of Van Lake and Iran, but a wall was built here three years ago. Despite this, refugees are coming by crossing it.

 

For this reason, additional Turkish security forces have been sent to this area.

 

Van's governor, Mohamed Amin, said Turkish security forces were working day and night to stop the influx of refugees.

 

This area is very dangerous and inaccessible but still, Afghan refugees want to enter Turkey.

 

On the other hand, thousands of refugees fleeing from Afghanistan are gathered in the Afghan province of Nimroz to enter Iran. Iran can also take drastic steps to stop the influx of refugees here.

 

Erdogan has also warned European countries about the influx of refugees. "If Turkey faces the pressure of migrants from the south and east, it will mean that European countries will also be affected by it," he said.

 

Simultaneously, Erdogan also stressed that Turkey will continue its 'duty of brotherhood' with the Afghan people in these difficult days.

 

What did Erdogan say on setting up a working group

"Ensuring security and stability in Afghanistan as soon as possible has become very important, not only regionally but also internationally," Erdogan said via videoconferencing at a G20 meeting from Istanbul on Tuesday.

 

He said that regardless of the political process in Afghanistan, the need has arisen to show strong solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country.

 

Erdogan said, "This is a global issue and we need to adopt a global approach within the G20 itself. I believe that we need to set up a working group to deal with all these issues."

 

"The international community has neither a chance to turn its back on the Afghan people nor to leave their country to their fate."

 

'Taliban take everyone along and build a system'

After capturing the capital Kabul on 15 August this year, the Taliban took control of the entire country. On the same day, the President and top officials of Afghanistan fled the country, and after some time the Taliban formed an interim government under the leadership of Mohammad Hassan Akhund.

 

However, the world's top powerful countries had demanded the Taliban to form a government in which ethnic diversity as well as women's participation. But the Taliban did not pay any special attention to it.

 

Turkish President Erdogan has said that world leaders should instruct the Taliban to create a system in which everyone participates.

 

Drawing attention to the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country, he urged the G-20 leaders to pay attention to the efforts of thousands of homeless Afghan refugees to take refuge in other countries.

 

Erdogan said the Turkish Red Crescent has sent 33 tonnes of food items to Afghanistan and Turkey is also working on a comprehensive humanitarian relief package.

 

Simultaneously, Erdogan, referring to the recent terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, said that 'this is a kind of difficult time in which it becomes imperative for us to show solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.'