Borrell: EU has no immediate plan to recognise Taliban

The European Union has no immediate plans to recognise the Taliban after their big victory in Afghanistan, but will talk to militants to ensure that European citizens and Afghans who have worked with the EU can leave safely, Josep Borrell, the Associated Press, reported.

Speaking after urgent talks between EU foreign ministers, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also underlined the importance of opening talks with the Taliban to help prevent a new refugee escort as a humanitarian crisis erupted in the conflict-torn country.

We need to contact the authorities in Kabul, whatever they are. The Taliban have won the war, so we will have to talk to them”, Borrell told reporters. “This dialogue will also have to focus on tools to prevent foreign terrorists' return”.

The “is not a matter of official recognition, it is a matter of treating the <x1-secondalies”, Borrell said.

The EU has decided to suspend development assistance for the Afghan government now that the Taliban have taken power, but the 27-nation bloc is weighing whether to increase humanitarian aid.

Borrell said that “cannot have aid payments for development until we clear up the” situation. He said Taliban should respect UN Security Council resolutions and human rights to gain access to funding.

But he said that “humanitarian aid will continue and maybe we will have an increase of”, given the number of displaced Afghans, the country's continued drought and the impact of the coronary pandemic.

The EU has promised around 1.2 billion euros (1.4 billion dollars) assistance for Afghanistan's development for 2021-2024.

EU ministers agreed that the first priority must be the extraction of Europeans and Afghans who have helped them over the years.

Spain has agreed to welcome up to 400 Afghans and distribute them to other EU countries that are willing to give visas.

“We cannot abandon them,” said Borrell.

Many countries in Europe are concerned about an influx of refugees as mass ecstasy from Syria in 2015. Afghans are now among the largest groups seeking refuge in Europe after the Syrians. Some EU estimates suggest that some 570,000 Afghans have applied for asylum over the past six years.