EU countries agreed to reestablish a joint presence in Kabul, if security conditions allow, to deal with the Taliban on ensuring safe departures, the bloc’s top diplomat said Friday.
“We have decided to work in a coordinated manner to coordinate our contact with the Taliban – including through a joint European Union presence in Kabul … if the security conditions are met,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Friday after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Slovenia, according to remarks carried by The Associated Press (AP).
“In order to support the Afghan population, we will have to engage with the new government in Afghanistan, which doesn’t mean recognition. It’s an operational engagement,” he told a news conference. He said this engagement would increase depending on the behavior of the government, such as Afghanistan not serving as “a base for the export of terrorism to other countries,” respecting the rights of women and the media, the establishment of an “inclusive and representative” government, and allowing access for aid. Borrell said the Taliban must live up to its commitment to allow at-risk foreign nationals and Afghans to continue to leave.
“These conditions are not negotiable for us,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told journalists. “Of course nobody has the illusion that all of this will be fulfilled 100% in the coming few days,” he said, calling it a “long-term task.”
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