The European Union is set to host Taliban officials in Brussels for talks on migration, marking the first known visit by the group to an EU meeting since it returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Belgium confirmed it had issued five visas for the delegation. The permits allow travel only within Belgium and are valid for a single day. Officials said details of the visit would remain confidential for security reasons.
The meeting is expected to focus on the return of Afghan nationals who no longer have the right to remain in the EU, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The European Commission said the discussions are technical in nature and do not amount to formal recognition of Taliban rule.
"Member States are looking into ways to return persons who have committed serious crimes and who are possibly a security threat. So this is the initiative that the Commission is now following up on," Commission spokesman Markus Lammert said.
European governments have faced growing pressure to address migration, while deportations to Afghanistan have remained difficult because of the absence of formal diplomatic ties.
Human rights organisations criticised the planned talks and urged the EU to reconsider its approach.
"Any engagement with the Taliban needs to prioritize protecting human rights and accountability - not deporting people to danger there," said Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Amnesty International also questioned the move. Eve Geddie, director of the organisation's European Institutions Office, said: "It is unconscionable that the EU would now try and deport people to Afghanistan, which has only become more dangerous in the meantime."
Since regaining power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, limiting education, employment and freedom of movement.
Afghanistan also continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis, leaving millions reliant on aid and struggling to secure enough food.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged drone attacks targeting their capitals early on Thursday, as U.S. envoys prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir P...
Armenia has been stripped of its voting rights in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) over unpaid membership fees, in an...
Investigators found a sticky note bearing the names and mobile phone numbers of four left-wing public figures while searching the home of the suspe...
Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their first formal talks in nine months. They did so with no agreement on what a ceasefire would be tied to or who gets to keep the land currently under Russian control.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning at this year's COP31 summit, saying the climate crisis iss advancing faster than governments' efforts to contain it.
At least 17 people have been reported killed in an explosion at a steel plant in western Türkiye, after a crane collapsed during maintenance work. The disaster has prompted a criminal investigation into what went wrong at the industrial facility.
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Washington believes the Russian President is prepared to reach a peace agreement under the right conditions, as U.S., Russian and Ukrainian delegations began trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday 10 November.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 11 November. Today, we cover Russia-Ukraine peace talks, political tensions in Washington, strikes in Spain, espionage allegations involving Nvidia's CEO, and climate negotiations at COP31 in Türkiye.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged drone attacks targeting their capitals early on Thursday, as U.S. envoys prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow following two days of peace talks that ended without a breakthrough on major issues.
Investigators found a sticky note bearing the names and mobile phone numbers of four left-wing public figures while searching the home of the suspect in last month’s deadly shooting near Paris, France’s national anti-terrorism prosecution office (PNAT) said on Wednesday.
The United States and China should have “no illusions” about their differences on artificial intelligence, even as they work together to manage the technology’s risks, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Pope Leo arrived in Peru on Wednesday for an emotional homecoming, the first Peruvian citizen to lead the Catholic Church, after wrapping up a visit to Argentina that drew a record six million people over three days.
Iran will not let a single particle of its enriched nuclear material leave the country, and any new U.S. attack would be met with strikes on distant American bases, Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei has said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment