In talks with the Taliban delegation, Turkey on Thursday reiterated the importance of government inclusiveness for Afghanistan's unity, said a top Turkish official.
Turkey repeated its advice to the visiting Taliban delegation on girls' education and women's employment in business life, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said at a news conference following a meeting with Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Ankara.
Muttaqi led a Taliban delegation for an official visit to Turkey to discuss bilateral issues as well as cooperation on the future of Afghanistan.
The Taliban officials have pledged to provide the utmost support to Afghan refugees who want to return to the country from Turkey, added Çavuşoğlu.
Turkey said it was ready to help the Taliban overcome Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis but not recognise its rule as it hosted the war-scarred country's new leaders for the first time.
"We have told the international community about the importance of engagement with the current Taliban administration. In fact, recognition and engagement are two different things," Çavuşoğlu said.
"The Afghan economy should not collapse. Therefore, we have said the countries that froze Afghanistan's accounts abroad should act more flexibly so that salaries can be paid."
The World Bank halted its funding projects in Afghanistan after the Taliban swept back to power in August.
Turkey has sought to use its position as the only Muslim-majority member of the NATO defence alliance to secure a greater role in Afghanistan after the US troop withdrawal.
But its offer to provide security for Kabul's airport -- the main point of access for humanitarian aid -- has been rejected by Taliban leaders and the sides made no apparent progress on the issue during their most high-level talk to date.
Çavuşoğlu said he reaffirmed to Muttaqi that ensuring security at the airport was vital before regular flights could resume.
"Today we explained to them once more the expectations on the issue of security -- not only ours but the entire international aviation community -- for running the airport and especially the start of regular flights," he said.
He also underlined that the Taliban delegation conveyed requests to Turkey during the meeting, especially on humanitarian aid and continued investment in Afghanistan.
Last month, Çavuşoğlu said Turkey has contributed to stabilization and development efforts in Afghanistan, including on the education of girls and empowerment of women since the 1920s, adding that Ankara continues providing humanitarian aid through the Turkish Red Crescent.
