ANKARA - Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul met Afghan Foreign Minister Rengin Dadfar Spanta in Foreign Ministry residence in Ankara on Thursday.
After the meeting, Gul told reporters that there were deep-rooted relations between Turkey and Afghanistan.
Stating that Afghanistan had experienced some problems during the last 20-25 years, Gul underlined, "we hope that these problems will end soon."
Recalling that Turkey first undertook the command of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and it also worked in ISAF in the following period, Gul said that Turkish soldiers felt at home when serving in Afghanistan.
Gul noted, "we should also boost economic cooperation between the two countries."
He added that a new project would take start near Kabul in regard to the areas of education, health and water sources.
On the other hand, Spanta noted that there were sound ties between the two countries.
Stating that Turkey made important contributions to several areas in Afghanistan, Spanta indicated that Turkey assumed a constructive role in his country.
Spanta stated that they passed through difficult days due to drug smuggling and terrorist activities in the south of Afghanistan, noting that they were working to end these problems in cooperation with international community.