Turkey welcomes holding of Afghan parliament elections

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday welcomed holding of the elections for the lower house of the Afghan Parliament on Oct. 20 despite challenging conditions.

"We hope that postponed elections in two provinces due to the security situation will be held as early as possible," the ministry said in a statement.

"After all relevant Afghan institutions carry out their work in a just and transparent manner, we expect that the definitive results of the elections will be declared as soon as possible," it added.

Voting for the long-due Afghan parliamentary elections held last Saturday amid tight security.

Election-related violence claimed more than 60 lives across the country in two days, local media reported.

The Taliban, who have declared war on the government, warned people against coming out to vote.

Preliminary results are expected on Nov. 10 while final results are due by Dec. 20.