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's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port o...
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad sayin...
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction. ...
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram. In Russia, online marketplace Ozon has suspended operations in Saratov, southwestern Russia, following a drone strike on a warehouse in the region.
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks drew the U.S. into Afghanistan, the Taliban is seeking a new relationship with Washington built on diplomacy, investment and trade, despite deep divisions between the former enemies.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella has formally ended all government peace negotiations with illegal armed groups, marking a dramatic shift in the country's security strategy and delivering on a central pledge from his election campaign.
Russian President Vladimir Putin used a series of high-level meetings ahead of the BRICS summit in New Delhi to reinforce Moscow's political and economic partnerships with countries across Africa and Asia. He also received backing from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bilateral cooperation.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment