Erdogan’s statements to journalists came aboard the presidential plane returning from Azerbaijan, according to Turkish Anadolu News. This comes after the Afghan Ministry of Information announced on Saturday that the round of negotiations held in Istanbul, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, between Afghanistan and Pakistan, ended without reaching a ‘viable solution.’ The ministry pointed out that the escalation of border tensions, following the explosions in the Afghan capital Kabul on October 9th, was a major background to this round of talks.
On his part, the Pakistani Defense Minister said that ‘negotiations in Turkey failed due to the inflexibility of the Taliban delegation,’ asserting that ‘there is no possibility of holding negotiations as they are pointless.’ Last Friday, five people were killed and others injured in an exchange of fire that took place on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tensions have escalated along the Durand Line, the disputed border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, since mid-October 2025, after Kabul accused Islamabad of violating its airspace and conducting raids on Afghan territory. The Afghan Ministry of Defense announced that it had successfully carried out a ‘retaliatory operation’ against Pakistan. Clashes resumed on October 15th, and following the air raids, Afghanistan put its security forces on high alert along the Durand Line.
On October 19th, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed on an immediate ceasefire during talks in Doha. To ensure the sustainability of the ceasefire and its monitoring, the neighboring countries decided to hold additional meetings.
