Taliban Officials to Attend Talks in Brussels Regarding Afghan Deportations

Taliban representatives have been granted visas to travel to Brussels for discussions with the European Union about the deportation of Afghan nationals from EU member states. This announcement was made by Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Several countries, such as Sweden, pushed for the meeting. It was organized by the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, amid diplomatic challenges and criticism about the meeting.

Laurens Soenen, spokesperson for the Belgian foreign ministry, confirmed that five visas were issued to the Taliban delegation on Monday afternoon. The visas permit a single-day visit to Belgium. Soenen did not disclose the expected arrival date, citing security and public order concerns.

An Afghan government official reported that five delegates would be traveling to Brussels on Tuesday specifically to discuss consular services for Afghans in the EU, including the repatriation of certain individuals to Afghanistan. This official spoke anonymously due to the negotiations’ sensitive nature.

A diplomat in Kabul, informed but not affiliated with the Taliban government, corroborated the Tuesday schedule for the visit.

The European Commission has been non-committal about the exact timing of the meeting. Commission representatives have labeled the visit as a “technical” gathering, emphasizing that EU member states requested the discussions.