A senior EU official said on Wednesday (September 1) that the EU will need to contact the Taliban, but will not rush to officially recognize this radical Islamic organization as the new ruler of Afghanistan.
Gunnar Wiegand, managing director of the European Commission Asia Pacific, also said that EU executives plan to receive 300 million euros in funding this year and next year, paving the way for the resettlement of about 30,000 Afghans.
Wiegand stated that formal relations with the Taliban will only be established if the organization meets certain conditions (including respect for human rights and unrestricted access for aid workers).
“In the context of the (EU) member states and the G7, there is no doubt: we need to engage with the Taliban, we need to communicate with the Taliban, we need to influence the Taliban, we need to use our influence. Yes,” he said.
“But we will not rush to recognize this new organization, nor to establish formal relations,” he told members of the European Parliament in Brussels.
Wiegand said that it is not yet clear whether the Taliban can effectively govern, but for the EU, the key condition for establishing formal relations is the establishment of an inclusive and representative transitional government.
Two weeks after seizing control of the capital Kabul, the Taliban have yet to name the government or reveal how they intend to govern.
Wigan said that other conditions for recognizing the Taliban are to allow Afghans who wish to leave the country to pass freely; not to strike against those associated with foreign powers or the original government; and to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists.
Some people worry that Afghanistan will repeat the immigration crisis that swept Europe in 2015-16.
Wiegand stated that the European Commission plans to receive 300 million euros in 2021 and 2022 and should “support resettlement and humanitarian acceptance” to resettle about 30,000 people. He did not specify where the funds will be raised or spent.
He called for an assessment of what went wrong with the 20-year contact between the West and Afghanistan, referring to the chaotic withdrawal of civilians and foreign troops after the Taliban swept Kabul.
“We must assess the reasons for this collapse,” Wiegand said. “We must learn from similar situations. This will be an assessment that will begin now.”
