The Afghan Taliban is holding its first, closed-door talks with European Union officials in Brussels focused on deportations, according to multiple reports. A Taliban delegation travels to Belgium for the meetings with EU staff on Tuesday, with the sessions described as rare and conducted away from public view. One report says Belgium issues 24-hour visas to enable the delegation’s arrival and participation. The delegation includes Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, according to The Hindu. Rights groups criticize the meeting, arguing that it risks undermining the EU’s human rights obligations related to returns and deportations. The reports do not indicate that the meeting results in public commitments, but they frame the talks as part of EU efforts to address concerns around migration and removal procedures involving Afghanistan. Overall, outlets agree on the timing, the closed-door nature, the Brussels location, and the focus on deportations, while differing mainly in added details such as visa arrangements and the delegation’s composition.
Afghan Taliban hold closed-door talks with EU on deportations in Brussels
The Afghan Taliban is holding its first, closed-door talks with European Union officials in Brussels focused on deportations, according to multiple reports. A Taliban delegation travels to Belgium for...
- A Taliban delegation travels to Brussels for rare, closed-door talks with European Union officials.
- The talks focus on deportations.
- The meeting is described as the Taliban’s first such engagement with the EU on this issue.
- Belgium issues short-term (24-hour) visas for the delegation, according to one report.
- Rights groups criticize the meeting, saying it may conflict with EU human rights obligations.
Rights groups criticized the meeting, saying it undermines the EU's human rights obligations.
14 hours agoBelgium issued 24-hour visas to the Taliban delegation, which includes New Zealand-born Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry
19 hours agoA Taliban delegation is traveling to Brussels on Tuesday for closed-door talks with European Union staff
20 hours ago
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