Delegation from Afghanistan’s Taliban Meets with EU Officials in Brussels
On Tuesday, a delegation from Afghanistan’s Taliban met for the first time with European Union (EU) officials in Brussels. This meeting was seen by rights groups as legitimizing the Islamists, but the EU defended it as necessary to facilitate the repatriation of failed asylum seekers who commit crimes or are deemed dangerous.
The EU and its member countries have not recognized the Taliban government since it returned to power five years ago after 20 years of war against a US-backed NATO force. However, Brussels has justified its decision to hold limited talks with Afghanistan’s de facto authorities as essential for deporting failed asylum seekers.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said that officials from the commission and 15 EU member states attended the meeting in Brussels, which followed a previous meeting held in Kabul in January. The Commission services and Sweden co-chaired the technical-level meeting focused on return and readmission issues.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson described the agenda as broader, including discussions on possible consular presence in the EU, resumption of consular services for Afghans, and trust-building measures. The meeting was seen to hold promise for building positive momentum to safeguard consular rights of Afghans residing abroad, according to the spokesperson.
The visit faced heavy criticism from rights groups and several European politicians who argued that such engagement could put Afghans at risk and undermine core EU values. They stated that every invitation, visa, and official meeting sends a political signal, with the Taliban not seeking technical discussions but rather legitimacy.
Belgium’s Foreign Ministry had issued a visa allowing Afghan representatives to enter the country for only one day, restricting their presence to Belgian soil instead of granting them free movement within the EU’s Schengen zone. Since returning to power, the Taliban has steadily curtailed rights, limiting women’s freedom of movement, banning girls from education beyond primary school, and enforcing morality laws that restrict free expression and access to employment.