KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that it will no longer accept or take responsibility for the consular services provided by Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions in several European countries, Canada, and Australia.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, July 30, the ministry said that it will no longer accept documents issued by missions in London, Berlin, Belgium, Bonn, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Australia, Sweden, Canada, and Norway and that it “bears no responsibility” for these documents.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly urged the Afghan political and consular missions in European countries to engage with Kabul to at least address consular services-related issues of Afghans and provide better services for Afghan citizens,” the Taliban statement reads.
“Unfortunately, the actions of most of the missions are carried out arbitrarily, without coordination, and in explicit violation of the existing accepted principles,” it added.
The ministry said that the Taliban no longer accepts consular services such as deeds, endorsements, NOCs, passport issuance, passport renewal stickers, and visa stickers from the specified missions.
The ministry wrote that people in those countries will need to approach embassies and consulates controlled by the Taliban instead.
Currently, the diplomatic missions in the mentioned countries are still operated by diplomats appointed by the republic government and do not comply with the Taliban’s directives and instructions due to the regime’s lack of legitimacy.
No country has formally recognized the Taliban government, but over the past three years, the regime has appointed its ambassadors to several neighboring embassies, including those in China, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran.
Earlier, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that they have sent diplomats to at least 14 countries and are working to take control of additional embassies and consulates.
Afghanistan’s political missions in European countries, Canada, and Australia have not yet responded to the Taliban’s statement.
Previously, Afghanistan’s political missions in Spain and the Netherlands announced that they were engaging with the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide consular services to Afghan citizens.
