Brussels, Belgium. EU officials met an Afghan Taliban delegation in Brussels on Tuesday for the first time, a move criticised by rights groups and some European politicians. The EU said the talks were needed to address the return and readmission of Afghan nationals without the right to stay in the bloc.
EU says talks focused on returns
The EU and its member countries have not recognised the Taliban government since the militant group returned to power five years ago after 20 years of war against a government backed by a U.S.-led NATO force.
Brussels defended its decision to hold limited talks with Afghanistan’s “de facto authorities” as necessary to deport failed asylum seekers who commit crimes or are deemed dangerous.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said officials from the commission and 15 EU member states attended the Brussels meeting, which followed a previous meeting held in Kabul in January.
“The Commission services and Sweden co-chaired a technical-level meeting today in Brussels with technical-level representatives of the de facto authorities of Afghanistan responsible for return and readmission,” the spokesperson said.
A letter from the Commission addressed to Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi and reviewed by Reuters said the talks would focus “on the return and readmission of Afghan nationals without a right to stay in the EU.”
Afghan side cites consular issues and trust-building
A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry said the agenda was broader and included a possible consular presence in the EU, the resumption of consular services for Afghans there, and “the need for trust-building measures”.
The meeting raised “hope to build positive momentum to safeguard consular rights of Afghans residing abroad,” Balkhi said.
Rights groups and politicians criticise meeting
The visit was heavily criticised by rights groups and by a number of European politicians who said such engagement could put Afghans at risk and undermine core EU values.
“Europe must not legitimise a regime responsible for one of the worst human rights crises in the world,” Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girls’ education activist, said in a post on X.