KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Afghanistan Embassy in London has officially ceased operations and handed over the key to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
As reported by the BBC, the embassy closed on Thursday, September 26, and Zalmai Rassoul, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the UK appointed by the previous government, handed the key over to the UK Foreign Office.
The report states that the tricolor flag of Afghanistan has not been lowered from the top of the embassy building and will remain raised.
According to the report, the UK government has not yet decided to hand over the embassy to the Taliban. The UK Foreign Office has not commented on the matter so far.
Hamed Elmi, the former Afghan diplomat in the UK, expressed his concerns to the BBC about the fate of tens of thousands of Afghans residing in the UK following the embassy’s closure.
He said that it remains uncertain how consular affairs and requests related to their documents will be handled.
As in many other countries, the Afghanistan Embassy in the UK was operated by diplomats appointed by the republic government and had no communication with the Taliban.
Earlier this month, the embassy announced that it would officially cease operations on September 27, following a formal request from the UK government.
The development follows the recent announcement from the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, declaring the consular services of several Afghan diplomatic missions in Europe, the UK, Canada, and Australia as invalid.
The Taliban foreign ministry reportedly requested these missions to engage with it on consular matters and to report to the ministry; however, these requests have been refused.
The ministry announced that it only recognizes five Afghan diplomatic missions in Europe as legitimate: those in the Netherlands, Spain, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and a consulate in Munich. All of these missions have been in contact with the regime.
Following the Taliban’s announcement, Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions in Germany, except for the consulate in Munich, and the one in Norway have ceased operations.
No country has officially recognized the Taliban during the three years of its rule in Afghanistan. However, many countries in the region have maintained diplomatic relations with the regime.
Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, and Turkey are among the nations that have maintained or reinstated a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan and have handed over Afghan diplomatic missions to diplomats appointed by the Taliban.
