Afghan government

Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin on March 27 received U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and his accompanying delegation at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.

During the meeting, recent developments in Afghanistan and the details of Afghan peace talks that Turkey plans to host in Istanbul were discussed.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on his first visit to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief, said on March 21 that the Biden administration wants to see "a responsible end" to America's longest war, but the level of violence must decrease for "fruitful" diplomacy to have a chance.

Hailing "valuable and trusted friend" Turkey for its willingness to host peace talks, Afghanistan on March 14 said the meeting could prove to be a vital step forward in the quest for stability in the war-weary country.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his Afghan counterpart Hanif Atmar spoke about the Afghan peace process over the phone on March 13, according to diplomatic sources.

The two discussed a meeting on the peace process set to be held in Istanbul on April, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Turkey and Egypt have started diplomatic-level contacts after years-long hiatus with disruption of relations in 2013, according to the Turkish foreign minister.

"We have contacts both at the level of intelligence and foreign ministries with Egypt. Diplomatic-level contacts have started," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency and TRT.

Turkey is ready to take part in mediation efforts for peace in Afghanistan and the region, the country's ruling party spokesman said on March 9. 

"Afghanistan is a very important country for us," Ömer Çelik, spokesman for the AKP, told reporters in the capital Ankara after a meeting of the party's Central Executive Board.

In a bid to accelerate the stalled peace process, a meeting between the Afghan government representatives and the Taliban would be arranged in Turkey, according to a letter leaked by Afghanistan's Tolo News on March 7. 

The letter was sent by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, revealed in the leaked letter.

The Afghan government's negotiating team is ready to begin the long-due intra-Afghan peace talks with the Taliban, President Ashraf Ghani announced in his Eid al-Fitr message on May 24. 

Flanked by his top aides outside the presidential palace's mosque, the Afghan president welcomed the Taliban's unexpected three-day truce declared for the Islamic festival.

Turkey on May 17 welcomed the political agreement between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival Abdullah Abdullah, hoping that the deal would lead to intra-Afghan negotiations, and ultimately bring lasting peace in the war-torn country.

The Taliban on April 12 said it was set to release 20 prisoners in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, in a potential breakthrough after the insurgents walked out of talks with the government last week.