EU: relations with the Taliban would only come about if the group meets specific conditions

SANAA, Sept. 02 (YPA) – The European Union will need to deal with the Taliban, but it will not rush into formally recognising the Islamist militant group as the new rulers of Afghanistan, said Gunnar Wiegand, the European Commission’s managing director for Asia and the Pacific

According to Reuters, Gunnar Wiegand said official relations with the Taliban would only come about if the group meets specific conditions, including respect for human rights and unfettered access for aid workers.

“There is no doubt among (EU) member states and in the G7 context: we need to engage with the Taliban, we need to communicate with the Taliban, we need to influence the Taliban, we need to make use of the leverages which we have,” he added.

“But we will not rush into recognising this new formation, nor into establishing official relations,” he told members of the European Parliament in Brussels.

On August 15, the Taliban took control of the Afghan capital, Kabul, with little resistance from the Afghan army, while the northeastern province of Panjshir, Kabul, remained the only state beyond the group’s control.

E.M