ANKARA
Turkey has welcomed peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, which have been hosted by Pakistan.
"Finalizing the peace and reconciliation process successfully is essential for permanently establishing the integrity and inner peace of Afghanistan," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
The peace efforts would accelerate development efforts in Afghanistan and it would lead the country to look towards its future confidently, the statement added.
Afghan government and the Taliban met for talks near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Tuesday. After the first round of direct peace talks was completed, the two sides reportedly agreed to continue negotiations after Ramadan.
A series of preliminary discussions between the two sides have been held in Dubai, China, Qatar and Norway in recent months as the Afghan government looks for ways to end the more than a decade long conflict with the Taliban.
