KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that consular services at Afghanistan’s embassy in Oslo, Norway, will resume on Monday, March 24.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, the ministry described the move as a “positive step” and urged Afghan nationals living in Norway to take note of the reopening.
No further details were provided, including who would be overseeing the embassy’s operations. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet commented on the development.
If implemented, Norway would become the first European country to hand over the Afghanistan diplomatic mission to the Taliban and accept its appointed diplomats—despite not formally recognizing the regime.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s embassies in several other countries continue to be operated by diplomats appointed by the previous government, with no engagement or communication with the Taliban.
The development follows a Taliban declaration last year, which deemed consular services at several Afghanistan diplomatic missions in Europe — including Norway — invalid. The group said it had repeatedly requested engagement with these missions on consular affairs, but its requests were refused.
Following the Taliban’s announcement, the Afghanistan ambassador in Norway declared the embassy’s closure in September 2024, citing a formal request from the Norwegian government. The embassy stated that all its property would be handed over to Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs until a legitimate government is established in Afghanistan.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, no country has officially recognized their rule. However, several countries — including Russia, China, Iran, Qatar, the UAE, Pakistan, and India — have maintained or reinstated diplomatic ties with Afghanistan under Taliban control.
Of these, only China, Kazakhstan, and the UAE have formally accepted credentials from Taliban-appointed ambassadors. China was also the first to appoint a new ambassador to its embassy in Kabul.
However, the wider international community, including the UN, has repeatedly emphasized that the normalization of relations with the Taliban regime depends on their commitment to upholding human rights, combating terrorism, and forming an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
