ANKARA (A.A) - 04.04.2002 - Prime Minister Hamid Karzai of interim government in Afghanistan arrived in Ankara on Thursday on two-day official visit.
Karzai is accompanied by a delegation comprised of Afghan Minister of Higher Education Sharif Faez, State Minister for protocol Mohammad Yahya Marufi, and Minister of Information and Culture Raheen Makhdoom. Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah had earlier come to Ankara.
Hamid Karzai will meet with Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit and National Defense Minister Sabahattin Cakmakoglu. He will also be received by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
Karzai's visit to Turkey which had scheduled for last week had been delayed due to the earthquake that hit Afghanistan.
AFGHAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS THEY WELCOME TURKEY'S DECISION TO TAKE OVER ISAF'S COMMAND
Abdullah Abdullah, the foreign minister of the interim government in Afghanistan, said on Thursday that they welcomed Turkey's decision to take over the command of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Abdullah responded to questions of reporters when he was waiting for Prime Minister Hamid Karzai of Afghan interim government at Esenboga airport.
Upon a question about ISAF's command, Abdullah said that at first, there were discussions about who would take over ISAF's command. He noted that then, Turkey's leadership was put forth.
Abdullah drew the attention that ISAF's command was not determined by the Afghan government and said that they were at first warm towards Germany. But, he said, then, Turkey's leadership was brought onto the agenda.
They welcomed Turkey's decision to take over the command, Abdullah stated.
Upon a question about the timing of Karzai's visit, Abdullah said that there were historical and cultural ties between Turkey and Afghanistan and that Karzai had wanted to come to Turkey before. However, Abdullah, pointed out, Karzai could pay his visit today due to some reasons like earthquake.
Responding to a question about Turkey's relationship with Northern Alliance, Abdullah said that although relations between two governments interrupted from time to time, Turkish and Afghan people were always in contact.
He noted that all ethnic groups in Afghanistan considered Turkey as a friendly country.
When asked what the expectations from Turkey related with Afghanistan's restructuring were, Abdullah said that several Turkish delegations sometimes visited their country.
Abdullah stated that Turkey helped them in many fields and that the timing of the humanitarian aid sent by Turkey in the last earthquake that hit their country was good.
Within this framework, they welcomed Turkey's decision to command ISAF, Abdullah added.