Context
The presidents of Pakistan and Turkey on Wednesday announced their support for initiatives to bring peace to Afghanistan, but refrained from discussing the possibility of a Taliban office in Istanbul. President Abdullah Gul of Turkey didn’t talk about potential plans for the Taliban to set up a political office in his country, but vowed to assist the Afghan High Council for Peace, which was appointed in February to seek negotiations with the Taliban. The council has called for a Taliban political office to be hosted in Istanbul to serve as a communication centre for peace negotiations. On Thursday, a senior Turkish diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Turkey may allow a Taliban office to bolster reconciliation efforts.
