EU to invite Taliban officials to Brussels to hold migration talks
Around 20 EU countries are seeking technical talks on returns as officials weigh passports, airport capacity and other practical hurdles.
- On Monday, the European Commission announced plans to invite Taliban officials to Brussels for talks on returning migrants to Afghanistan, with officials working to send a letter "imminently" to arrange the meeting.
- Around 20 European Union countries are exploring ways to return migrants, particularly those with court convictions, as Germany has deported more than 100 Afghans with criminal records since 2024 via charter flights.
- Two previous European trips to Afghanistan addressed airport capacity and technical issues, according to diplomatic sources. The proposed Brussels visit aims to resolve practical hurdles such as issuing passports for citizens whose embassies remain unrecognized.
- Critics, including the International Rescue Committee, argue the returns drive ignores humanitarian risks. Lisa Owen, the committee's country director, warned: "Deporting Afghans back to a country where almost half of the population cannot feed themselves is not a migration policy."
- Because the group remains unrecognized by the European Union, engaging with Taliban authorities presents ethical dilemmas and diplomatic constraints. Rights groups fear the visit could allow Taliban officials to identify individuals they wish to return, risking fundamental rights.
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It would be the first official visit of Taliban representatives to the European Union. An EU spokesman informs that the invitation does not imply diplomatic recognition of the Taliban government.
Meeting at the request of several EU countries. The meeting did not mean that the Taliban would be recognised.
EU to invite Taliban officials to Brussels to hold migration talks
The European Union is planning to invite officials from Afghanistan's Taliban government to Brussels for their first known official visit, to discuss ways to deport some Afghan migrants back to Afghanistan.
The EU plans to invite representatives of the radical Islamist Taliban regime to Brussels for talks on deportations to Afghanistan. A meeting at a "technical level with the de facto authorities in Afghanistan" is currently being prepared, an EU Commission spokesperson told the AFP news agency on Monday. Sources close to the matter indicated that a letter would be sent to Kabul shortly to [...]
EU to invite Taliban to Brussels for migrant return talks
The European Commission told AFP Monday it plans to invite Taliban officials to Brussels in the near future for talks on returning migrants to Afghanistan. According to sources close to the matter, a letter is to be sent "imminently" to Kabul to arrange a date for a meeting in the Belgian capital. The visit, coordinated with Sweden, would follow two trips by European officials to Afghanistan on the same issue. Officials are now "working on a pot…
The European Union seeks technical agreements with Afghanistan on migrant returns, provoking political and humanitarian reactions
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