EU Chief Diplomat Joseph Borrell (Joseph Borrell) said on Tuesday (August 17) that even if the Taliban does not recognize them as the country’s legal ruler, the EU will have to negotiate with the Taliban to provide them with support .
“The Taliban won the war, so we will have to talk to them,” Borrell told reporters after the crisis meeting of EU foreign ministers, although emphasizing that this does not mean swift action to officially recognize their rule.
He said that an agreement has been reached that the EU will “conduct dialogue as soon as necessary to prevent humanitarian and potential migration disasters.”
He added: “This dialogue must also focus on the means to prevent foreign terrorists from returning to Afghanistan.”
Until a few days ago, the head of EU foreign affairs was encouraging the Kabul government to cooperate with the Taliban, but like anyone else, he must have been surprised by the speed at which the authorities surrendered to the Islamic movement that now rules the country. Borel has warned that if the Taliban seize power by force and re-establish an Islamic emirate, they will face the prospect of non-recognition, isolation, lack of international support, and continued conflict and instability in Afghanistan. However, the Taliban took over without encountering resistance.
US President Joe Biden said in a televised speech earlier on Monday that he “fully supports” his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, and emphasized that the US mission in Afghanistan has never been country building, and its only national interest is to prevent it from happening. The terrorist attack on the motherland.
Borel said on Tuesday that despite the success of the fight against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, the nation-building process has failed, and despite providing the country with a lot of resources, this can be regarded as a response to these comments.
At the same time, the Taliban were ousted by a US-led coalition 20 years ago, but they made a shocking comeback. They promised to pardon the Afghans who they believed were enemies of cooperating with the West.
Soft version?
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid unexpectedly announced in a gentle tone at the first press conference on Tuesday that they would allow Afghan women to work and study “within the limits of Islamic law”, and Ensure that media workers can carry out their work freely because they will not “violate national values.”
However, EU leaders and the international community remain skeptical and have expressed concern over the past few days that the Taliban’s brutal reputation and imposed Islamic rule may harm women’s rights and trigger a new wave of European immigration.
When asked if the Taliban’s so far mild tone indicates a change in strategy, Borrell quipped to him, “They look the same, but they speak better English”.
Borel said that in order to avoid humanitarian disasters, assistance must be maintained or even increased, but only when the conditions are met will aid be provided to the Afghan government.
“But we will create the conditions for continued support, and we will use our influence… to respect human rights. I know when I say this seems a bit wishful thinking, but we will use all our influence,” he added .
The conditions are also combined statement Released by the 27 EU countries at the end of the two-hour crisis meeting.
“The prerequisite for cooperation with any future Afghan government is a peaceful and inclusive solution, respect for the fundamental rights of all Afghans, including women, youth and people belonging to minorities, and respect for Afghanistan’s international obligations, and work to combat corruption and Prevent terrorist organizations from using Afghan territory,” the statement read.
As EU member states are currently facilitating the evacuation mission, Borrell also stated that he will send “reinforcement forces” to the EU delegation in Kabul to “conduct dialogue with the Taliban on practical issues.”
This will include priority evacuation of EU staff and about 400 Afghans working in the EU and their families.
Immigration negotiations become the focus
Greek Immigration Minister Notis Mitarachi warned on Tuesday that NATO member Greece cannot be the gateway to the European Union for Afghans fleeing the escalating conflict.
“We made it clear that we will not and cannot be a European gateway for refugees and immigrants who may try to come to the EU,” Mitarachi told national television Yes.
Mitarachi reiterated his call for a joint response from the EU, as the consensus among EU member states on whether to expel unsuccessful Afghan asylum seekers broke down last week.
Greece was at the forefront of Europe’s 2015 immigration crisis, when nearly 1 million people fled conflicts in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and landed on Greek islands before heading north to the richer European countries.
As another EU front-line country on the issue of illegal immigration, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev called on the National Security Consultative Committee on Tuesday to discuss the challenges posed by the situation in Afghanistan.
At the same time, some EU diplomats expressed concern that the Afghan issue will be confused with the crisis meeting of the EU’s interior ministers on Wednesday.
The meeting will discuss the use of illegal immigrants (mainly Iraqis) by Belarus as a political weapon in retaliation against the EU sanctions imposed on Minsk.
According to a draft statement, the EU Minister of Interior will announce that the EU stands ready to provide additional border officials and funds to deal with the wave of immigration from Lithuania that is blamed on Belarus.
They will also condemn Belarus for sending immigrants to the Lithuanian border to commit unacceptable aggression.
When asked if it is possible to separate the Afghanistan debate from the Belarus/Immigration debate on Wednesday, an EU diplomat told EURACTIV that the goal is to “keep the agenda unchanged.”
However, Slovenia’s EU presidency is likely to ask Borel to introduce the conclusions of the EU foreign ministers on the Afghanistan issue and prepare for a follow-up meeting.
European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET) Chairman David McAllister (EPP, Germany) called on the agency to hold a special meeting with the Afghan Development and Parliamentary Delegation on Thursday.
(Editing by Georgi Getoff)
