The European Commission has transferred to our country the names of the Taliban delegation that will come to Brussels to negotiate the return of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan. Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés) confirmed this on Thursday. The security services are now conducting “the necessary preliminary analyses” for the possible issuance of a visa, his cabinet said.
Journalist at HLN
Source: Belga, ANP
It has been known for some time that the European Commission wants to negotiate with the Afghan Taliban about the return of Afghan refugees. A Belgian visa is required to receive the Afghan delegation in Brussels. This is a sensitive matter, because the Taliban are an armed group that is not internationally recognized as a legitimate government.
The Taliban delegation has not yet submitted a visa application, the minister’s spokesperson confirmed to Belga. But the European Commission did provide a list of names, allowing the Belgian security services to start a preliminary analysis, it said.
The Taliban regime
In 2021, the extremist Taliban seized power in Afghanistan again, following the withdrawal of Western troops from the country. The Taliban reinstalled an extremely religious Islamic regime based on Sharia law. Individual rights and freedoms are under great pressure in the country, women’s rights in particular. For example, with the exception of a few professions, working is prohibited for women and girls are no longer allowed to study.
At the beginning of this year, delegations from various EU member states, including Belgium, visited the Afghan capital Kabul. Van Bossuyt (N-VA) then called on the Commission for “diplomatic and practical” solutions to return migrants to the country.
However, NGOs are critical of talks with the Taliban regime. A group of MEPs is calling on Belgium not to grant visas.