Taliban representatives to visit Brussels for talks on Afghan returns
The European Commission is preparing to invite representatives of the Taliban to Brussels for talks on the return of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan. The Commission confirmed the planned visit to AFP news agency. A date for the discussions has not yet been announced.
The talks, which are being co-coordinated by Sweden, are intended as a continuation of discussions previously held by European representatives in Afghanistan. According to the Commission, the meetings in Brussels will focus on “technical discussions” concerning the repatriation of Afghan refugees.
Follow-up to Kabul visit
In January, representatives of the EU and Belgium travelled to Kabul for talks with the Taliban authorities. Among those taking part was Freddy Roosemont, director-general of the Belgian immigration office.
According to Anneleen Van Bossuyt, Belgium’s minister for asylum and migration, a follow-up meeting in Brussels is “an important and necessary” next step, as she stated in April.
"Systematic and horrific exclusion of women and girls”
The planned visit has been met with controversy, as the Taliban remains internationally criticised for its human rights record since returning to power in Kabul in 2021.
On its own website, the EU states that the Taliban’s actions have led to the “systematic and horrific exclusion of women and girls” and to a “dramatic deterioration of the political, economic, and humanitarian situation for the Afghan people.”
The decision to host Taliban representatives in Brussels has therefore already prompted criticism and debate. Magnus Brunner, the European Commissioner responsible for migration, is expected to answer questions in the European Parliament regarding the planned visit.
Taliban security personnel standing guard near the zero-point border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan at the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province. © PHOTO SANAULLAH SEIAM / AFP
Related news
