A controversial and unusual meeting took place in Brussels on Tuesday, when a delegation from Afghanistan’s Taliban movement met European Union representatives in closed-door talks. According to N12, the discussions included the possibility of returning Afghan migrants living in Europe to Afghanistan.
EU officials stressed that the meeting was purely technical and focused on consular services and ways to arrange what they described as a “dignified return” for Afghan citizens. The Taliban delegation, led by Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, welcomed the meeting as “historic” and said it was part of a broader effort to build mutual trust between the Taliban and the international community.
The EU said representatives from 15 of its 27 member states took part. The talks centered on easing the return of migrants who have been denied the right to remain in Europe, including people considered criminals or security threats. Since 2013, about 1 million Afghans have applied for asylum in the EU, and roughly half of those applications were approved.
The move drew sharp criticism from human rights groups, which argued that cooperation with the Taliban on deportations could undermine Europe’s criticism of the regime’s harsh restrictions. They said the EU was contradicting itself by condemning Taliban abuses while simultaneously negotiating returns. Inside the bloc, the issue is also disputed: some member states and the European Commission say technical dialogue is necessary, while critics warn it risks a gradual normalization of the Afghan regime.
