ANKARA: A senior Taliban official asserted on Thursday that Afghanistan’s embassy in Ankara remains operational, contradicting an earlier announcement from embassy staff that it had shut down and been placed under the control of Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Zakir Jalali, who heads the Asian department at Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, stated on X that the embassy continues to function and provide consular services. He described the transition of diplomats as a routine procedure, emphasizing that Taliban-appointed representatives are now overseeing the mission.
His remarks came just hours after the embassy released a statement declaring that it had officially been handed over to Turkish authorities in accordance with international diplomatic protocols.
Despite this, Jalali reaffirmed that Afghan citizens could still receive consular services at the embassy and insisted that personnel changes were a normal occurrence in diplomatic missions worldwide.
