Turkey striving to gain foothold in Afghanistan
Since taking office, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has set his eyes on reviving what is known as the 'Turkish Caliphate'.
He has taken advantage of the
turmoil in the countries of the region to find for his regime a foothold in them.
He did this in Syria, Iraq and other regional states.
The Turkish ruling Justice and
Development regime did not rely on military force to fulfill its expansionist
dreams. It rather resorted to cultural and social control, and the cultivation
of media and intellectual arms in these countries.
Afghanistan was not far away from
the sights of the Erdogan regime. The Turkish president sought to present himself
as a possible alternative to the international community in Kabul.
TİKA and
Afghanistan
Erdogan relied on cultural and
social infiltration, especially in Afghanistan. He utilized the services of the
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, which is widely known as TİKA. The agency is Erdogan's
most prominent arm outside Turkish borders.
Established in January 1992, TİKA provides aid and
coordinates relations between Ankara and Central Asian countries.
When the Justice and Development
Party won the presidential elections in 2002, it altered the activities of the
agency. The party expanded TİKA's
outreach beyond Asia.
Afghanistan was central to the
strategies of the agency. It worked to exploit the economic and social crises befalling
Afghan cities as a result of the conflict between the Taliban and the United
States in increasing its role in the country.
According to a statement by the
agency on July 29, 2021, TİKA
provided food aid to 1,500 needy families in several cities in northern
Afghanistan.
The agency pointed out that this aid
is part of its ongoing solidarity with the Afghan people.
TİKA has
also established a project to provide aid to children and orphans.
During the Islamic minor feast, the
agency presented gifts to 350 orphans in the Afghan provinces of Balkh and
Badakhshan.
It indicated that this celebration
was attended by the Turkish consul general in Mazar-i Sharif along with a host
of local officials.
