EUROPEAN UNION RE-ESTABLISHES PHYSICAL PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN -SPOKESMAN

Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban acting MFA in led of a delegation has left Kabul for Norway.

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Sat 22 January 2022:

The European Union announced on Friday that it will re-establish a physical presence in Afghanistan for humanitarian reasons, but that it would not legally recognize the Taliban-led government.

It was the first such announcement by a Western power since the EU and several other states withdrew employees and diplomats from Afghanistan when Kabul fell to the Taliban in August last year.

“The EU has started to re-establish a minimal presence of international EU Delegation staff to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and monitor the humanitarian situation,” said European Commission foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban acting MFA in led of a delegation has left Kabul for Norway.

A Taliban foreign ministry spokesman had earlier said in a Tweet that its officials had reached an understanding with the EU, which had “officially opened its embassy with a permanent presence in Kabul & practically commenced operations”.

The EU spokesperson stopped short of saying the mission had been formally re-opened.

“Our minimal presence in Kabul must not in any way be seen as recognition. This has also been clearly communicated to the de facto authorities,” he said.

Also on Friday, the Norwegian foreign ministry announced that Taliban representatives will be invited to Oslo on January 23 for meetings with international community representatives and Afghan civil society activists.

While striving to prevent a rising humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, governments around the world have been debating how to avoid publicly recognising the Taliban, who stormed to power on Aug. 15 as Western forces departed.

On Tuesday, the EU announced the beginning of initiatives totaling 268.3 million euros ($304.06 million), the majority of which would be channeled through UN agencies and will focus on health, education, and displaced people.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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