©Farid Ershad via Unsplash
On Tuesday afternoon, a delegation from the Afghan Taliban arrived in Brussels for talks with the European Union. This marks the very first time that representatives of the Taliban have been received by the EU.
The Taliban delegation will meet with the European Commission in Brussels to discuss the possible return of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan, according to the French news agency AFP.
“They pose no threat on Belgian soil”
The Taliban are in Brussels at the request of the European Commission to discuss the refugee issue.
On Monday, the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued five one-day visas for the Taliban representatives. A security analysis by the State Security Service and the military intelligence service ADIV found that there was “no information on the basis of which it could be concluded that the individuals in question pose a threat on Belgian territory.” The visas are valid only for Belgium—not for the entire Schengen Area—and only for one day.
The meeting is a closed-door consultation between Taliban representatives and European Commission officials regarding the return of Afghan asylum seekers and rejected migrants.
EU does not recognize the Taliban
There has been significant criticism of the visit by the Taliban representatives, given that the Taliban are committing widespread human rights violations in Afghanistan. The meeting is notable because it represents one of the highest-level contacts between the EU and the Taliban since the group regained power in Afghanistan in 2021. The European Commission has made it clear that this does not constitute formal recognition of the Taliban.
Little has been officially confirmed so far regarding the names of the five representatives. According to reports and sources close to the Taliban, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is at least one of the participants. The EU has not made the full list of delegates public.
©Farid Ershad via Unsplash - illustrative image of the Afghan flag