Embassy in Ankara resumes operations under Islamic Emirate

KABUL (TOLONews): Following the announcement by the Afghan Embassy in Ankara regarding its transfer to Türkiye, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate now states that the embassy will continue its operations.

Zakir Jalaly, director of the third political department of the Foreign Ministry, said that changes in the diplomatic staff of embassies are a normal procedure.

He said: “The Afghan Embassy in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, will continue its activities as before and remains at the service of citizens and other visitors.”

At the same time, Abdul Latif Nazari, the professional deputy minister of the Ministry of Economy, stated that the authority of the Afghan Embassy in Ankara has been handed over to the Islamic Emirate.

Nazari told TOLOnews: “The relations between Afghanistan and Türkiye in political, economic, commercial, and diplomatic areas are progressing and expanding. The recent development at the Afghan Embassy in Ankara will help enhance bilateral relations.”

“Embassies should have a single authority; either officials of the Islamic Emirate should operate them, or representatives of the former republic. I do not think that both governments and the Islamic Emirate will engage with the former republic’s representatives. Therefore, it is better for them to be handed over to the Islamic Emirate to provide better consular services for Afghan migrants,” said Salim Paigir, a political analyst.

Yesterday, the Afghan Embassy in Türkiye announced in a statement that its operations had ended and that it had been officially handed over to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement from the Afghan Embassy in Ankara read: “The embassy has been transferred to the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs instead of a representative of the Islamic Emirate and is now under the host country’s jurisdiction, according to the Vienna Conventions.”

“Afghanistan’s embassies in other countries belong to Afghanistan, and Afghans and the Afghan government have the right to utilize these embassies as per their authority,” said Hemayatullah Ahmadi, a political analyst.

Expanding diplomatic relations with countries like Türkiye, particularly in the current situation, is seen as an important step for Afghanistan in strengthening international cooperation.

“Having diplomatic relations with neighboring and regional countries, especially with those like Türkiye, which has never interfered negatively in Afghanistan’s affairs and has always maintained goodwill, can help Afghanistan break out of international isolation,” said Aziz Maarej, former diplomat.

Previously, the operations of Afghan embassies in London, Norway, Sweden, India, and Canada had been halted, and these missions have not yet been transferred to the Islamic Emirate.