BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI
STAR- Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli comments on the situation in Afghanistan and her view that Ankara is neglecting the country. A summary of her column is as follows:
Let me share with you my impressions of Afghanistan, which I recently visited for a week, with results that reflect badly on Turkey. Almost everywhere in Afghanistan you hear complaints about Turkey, because after we turned over command of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) early this year, Ankara’s interest in this country fell sharply. And they have good reason to complain. Other countries are still very active in Afghanistan. The capital Kabul is hosting Western delegations, and high-ranking European officials are holding meetings to establish business ties. The German airlines have even started to fly to Kabul; in contrast, Turkish Airlines (THY) is doing nothing. The active figures in Kabul are Turkish businessmen, mostly contractors who have already won bids totaling $250-300 million. They emphasize that there is great deal of work to do in Afghanistan and that our government should work harder to promote Turkey’s private sector there. Let’s also talk about the military a little.
The Turkish Army is still represented in the ISAF with a unit of nearly 200 soldiers. This unit not only meets its own needs, but also the needs of people in the region. One day our soldiers built a park for the Afghan children. Actually this is what Afghanistan was waiting for, namely people who don’t shrink from hugging and touching them despite the misery and dirt coming from 30 years of almost ceaseless war. We hope that the Turkish Embassy personnel in Afghanistan and our soldiers won’t hesitate to help and hug the Afghan people.