
The European Union says it has no option but to talk to Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers and Brussels will try to coordinate with member governments to organise a diplomatic presence in Kabul.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was speaking in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, stating that the Afghan crisis is not and so to have any chance of influencing events, they have no other option but to engage with the Taliban.
EU foreign ministers have set conditions for re-establishing humanitarian aid and diplomatic ties with the Taliban, who took control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, including respect for human rights, particularly women’s rights.
Borrell told EU lawmakers that the bloc should be prepared to see Afghans trying to reach Europe if the Taliban allow people to leave, although he said he did not expect migration flows to be as high as in 2015 caused by Syria’s civil war.
The European Commission plans to secure funding from EU governments and the common budget of 300 million euros both this year and next to pave the way for resettlement of around 30,000 Afghans.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.