The European Union says its envoy Gilles Bertrand raised concerns over women’s rights, regional security and cross-border tensions during a visit to Kabul, while Afghan officials urged more development aid, trade access and continued dialogue.
Bertrand visited Kabul from 17 to 21 April and held talks with senior Afghan officials, diplomats, United Nations representatives, civil society activists and non-governmental organisations, according to the European External Action Service.
The visit appears to show that contact between the two sides is continuing, even as major disagreements remain over rights and international engagement.
According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister for Finance and Administration Dr Mohammad Naeem told Bertrand that EU aid should move towards long-term development so that it can create jobs and help address “people’s basic problems”.
The Afghan side also said dialogue should remain at the centre of relations. Summarising that position, the ministry said Naeem stressed that “dialogue and diplomacy” were the most effective ways to solve problems and that both sides agreed to maintain regular contact for better co-ordination.
Bertrand’s office, however, said human rights featured prominently in all his exchanges. The EU statement said restrictions on women and girls, including access to education, work and public life, remain a major obstacle to normalising relations.
It added that Afghanistan remains the only country where girls are banned from studying beyond sixth grade.
The EU also said Bertrand discussed tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the threat posed by armed groups, the return of Afghan nationals from Iran and Pakistan, and the need for a resilient private sector.
In a closing line that summed up the bloc’s position, the statement said, “The European Union’s engagement in Afghanistan remains principled, pragmatic, and focused on the needs of the Afghan people.”
The wider backdrop remains severe. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 21.9 million people in Afghanistan are projected to need humanitarian assistance in 2026.
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Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, used a visit to Uzbekistan to press for easier trade and transit, focusing on boosting exports, establishing an export centre in Balkh, and strengthening regional economic ties.
Afghanistan’s power utility chief has held talks in Tajikistan with officials and contractors to speed up the CASA-1000 electricity project and tackle ongoing implementation challenges, according to official statements.
Kazakhstan plans to boost trade with Afghanistan from $500 million to $3 billion, backed by infrastructure and transit projects designed to strengthen regional connectivity and improve access to global markets.
Afghanistan and Uzbekistan have agreed to strengthen research and policy cooperation following a roundtable in Tashkent focused on trade, connectivity and regional ties, according to official statements from both sides.
Pakistan is confident it can bring Iran to talks with the United States, a senior official said, citing “positive signals” from Tehran, as JD Vance is reportedly set to visit Islamabad on Tuesday for peace talks, according to Axios.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted three vessels, seizing two of them for alleged maritime violations and transferring them to Iranian shores, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is extending its ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a proposal.
A gunman who killed seven people in a mass shooting in Kyiv on Saturday (18 April) had quarrelled with his neighbour before he opened fire on passersby, public broadcaster Suspilne cited Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko as saying on Tuesday.
Two local trains collided head-on north of Copenhagen on Thursday (23 April), injuring 17 people, five of them critically, according to emergency services.
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United Nations experts have urged the Indian authorities to release Jagtar Singh Johal, who was arrested in Punjab in late 2017 and has remained in prison since. Allegations have been made that he was tortured and threatened with death in custody.
Central Asian leaders have warned that worsening water shortages now pose a direct threat to regional stability, urging coordinated action and stronger international engagement.
Russia has confirmed the suspension of Kazakh oil shipments to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline, citing technical reasons, in a move that could disrupt refinery supplies in eastern Germany.
Georgia has assumed the rotating chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), formally taking over on 22 April in Vienna and placing it at the centre of key security discussions at a time of rising geopolitical tension and declining trust between states.
An Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinians, including three children, near a mosque in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday (22 February), health officials said.
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