The main topic under discussion at the two-day meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brdo, Slovenia, was the humanitarian and political situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg made it clear that the EU expects the Taliban regime to meet a wide range of commitments, particularly regarding the fundamental rights and freedoms of Afghan citizens and their freedom to travel. Speaking in Slovenia, Schallenberg said:
Clearly, the Taliban will not be given the benefit of the doubt. They will not get a blank cheque.
Austria’s Foreign Minister expressed his view that the prospect of recognising the Taliban as the legitimate representatives of the Afghan population was not currently on the table. That could not happen until it was clear whether the regime would meet the EU’s expectations. However, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg also stressed that there was a need to confront the reality of the situation in Afghanistan, and that this would mean cooperating with the Taliban at a technical level. As he explained:
There is a difference between holding technical discussions with the Taliban and recognising them as the legitimate representatives of the Afghan state.
Alexander Schallenberg also called for greater political engagement in the region from the EU. Austria has already taken steps in this direction by providing an emergency aid package worth over 18 million euros to the UNHCR and UN Women, as well as by holding a video conference with Afghanistan’s central-Asian neighbours. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg pointed out that,
We have to be aware of the fact that the new situation in Afghanistan has the potential to drag the entire region into the mire,
and called for the EU to maintain a presence in the region by providing assistance on the ground.
