KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — The Afghanistan Embassy in Norway announced it will cease operations on September 12 in response to an official request from the host country.
In a statement on Monday, September 9, the embassy stated that all embassy property will be handed over to Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs until a legitimate government is in place in Afghanistan.
The embassy’s operations will cease following a recent announcement by 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 claims to have repeatedly requested these missions to engage with it on consular matters, but these requests have been refused.
Earlier in June, the ministry publicly announced that it recognized only five Afghan diplomatic missions in Europe as legitimate. These missions are the Afghan embassy in the Netherlands, Spain, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic, as well as a consulate in Munich, all of which have been in contact with the regime.
The Afghanistan Embassy in Norway stated that it attempted to address the issue and find a political solution; however, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized the Taliban announcement and deemed it necessary to enforce.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway has not yet commented on the matter.
A source informed KabulNow that Taliban Prime Minister Hassan Akhund has recently ordered the dismissal of 12 Afghan ambassadors and consuls across Europe, the UK, Canada, and Australia. He has also directed that their passports be rendered invalid.
Two days ago, the Embassy of Afghanistan in the UK announced that, following a formal request from the UK government, it will officially cease operations on September 27.
Similarly, Afghanistan missions in Germany, except for the one in Munich, have reportedly been closed. According to a Deutsche Welle report, the Afghan mission in Munich will continue to operate and provide consular services to Afghans across the country.
Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions in these countries, operated by diplomats appointed by the previous government, had no communication with the Taliban and neither requested nor received funding from the ruling regime in Afghanistan.
Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, no country has officially recognized them as the legitimate government. However, many neighboring and regional countries have either kept their embassies operational or reopened diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.
