European Union foreign ministers discuss engagement with Taliban; differ on refugees

Bled, Slovenia: European Union foreign ministers on Thursday debated on how to engage with the Taliban, humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and handling of refugees from the war-ravaged nation, hours after India briefed them on its contact with the insurgent group that has come back to power in Kabul.

“The purpose of the meeting is to try to reach an agreement on coordinated engagement with the Taliban on the basis of certain conditions, and on the possibilities of cooperation with regional players,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters before the start of the informal meeting here in Slovenia.

This does not mean recognition, Borrell stressed. “This requires cooperation with the Taliban.”


At the meeting, German foreign minister Heiko Maas said, “It is important for Germany to set certain conditions, such as the formation of an inclusive government, the protection of human rights and women’s rights, and that Afghanistan does not again become a haven for terrorists.”

Luxembourg’s foreign minister Jean Asselborn stressed that the Taliban must be aware that without international assistance, the country will collapse.

“Europe cannot be a positive Europe if it limits the number of refugees,” he said. The need to allow Afghans at risk to come to Europe was underlined by several other EU foreign ministers.

However, Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto disagreed, saying that Afghans should not be encouraged to leave the country without restrictions. Polish foreign minister Zbigniew Rau agreed with him.

On Friday, the EU ministers are expected to discuss EU-China relations, the EU’s approach towards the Gulf countries, and EU’s outreach with the Indo-Pacific region. The EU will adopt its Indo-Pacific strategy this month.