Taliban, EU hold talks in Brussels on Afghan refugees; human rights concerns remain

Taliban, EU hold talks in Brussels on Afghan refugees; human rights concerns remain

Report: Shahbanu Noori | Kabul Times News

Agence France-Presse reported that Taliban representatives met with EU officials in Brussels, the Belgian capital, on Tuesday to discuss migration and the return of Afghan citizens whose asylum applications have been rejected.

According to the report, the meeting came as a number of human rights organizations and women’s rights activists expressed concern about any cooperation with the Taliban on the forced return of Afghan refugees. They warned that the human rights situation in Afghanistan, especially for women, civil society activists and Taliban critics, remains worrisome.

Earlier, the European Commission announced that a five-member Taliban delegation had been invited to Brussels to participate in a technical meeting on migration issues. Reports also indicate that representatives from 15 EU member states were also present at the talks.

According to a Taliban official who is present at the talks, the main focus of the talks included providing consular services to Afghan citizens in European countries, strengthening confidence-building measures between the two sides, and examining mechanisms for the return of Afghan refugees to the country.

The Taliban official described the atmosphere of the talks as “positive” and said that the two sides exchanged views on ways to cooperate in the areas under discussion.

The European Commission has also confirmed that the issue of identifying Afghan refugees and issuing the necessary documents for the return of those who do not have the conditions for residence in European countries was among the main focuses of the meeting.

The meeting is being held in a situation where the discussion of the expulsion of Afghan refugees from some European countries and concerns about the security and human rights situation of returnees to Afghanistan continue. Human rights organizations have emphasized that any decision on the return of refugees must be made taking into account the humanitarian, security, and legal conditions of the individuals.