KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The European Union hosted a Taliban delegation in Brussels on Tuesday despite widespread criticism from human rights groups, UN experts, EU lawmakers, and Afghan women who warned that the engagement risked legitimizing the group.
The Taliban foreign ministry said the delegation, led by the ministry’s spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi, held bilateral and multilateral meetings with EU member states during the visit.
In a statement posted on X, Balkhi said the discussions focused on restoring consular services for Afghans in Europe, confidence-building measures, and the challenges facing Afghan migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected.
“The visit is expected to open new avenues for positive engagement, strengthen efforts to address the problems of Afghans living abroad, and expand cooperation based on mutual respect and shared interests,” Balkhi said. He did not disclose other members of the delegation or their exact dates of arrival and departure.
The Belgian government issued one-day, geographically restricted visas for five Taliban members, who had spent several days in Türkiye before arriving in Brussels, Reuters reported earlier.
The EU Commission extended the invitation about a month ago, framing the talks as “technical” discussions centered on migration issues and the potential deportation of Afghans whose asylum claims were rejected or who had committed crimes in EU countries.
Balkhi’s statement, however, indicated the agenda was broader than deportation facilitation.
The meeting marked the first time the EU has hosted a Taliban delegation since the group seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. It sparked strong backlash from critics, who argue that any formal contact with the Taliban risks legitimizing the group, which has been accused of widespread human rights abuses, particularly against women and girls.
Hannah Neumann, a German member of the European Parliament, criticized the meeting on X. “The Commission held ‘technical talks’ with the Taliban in Brussels today. What a shit show,” she wrote. “The Taliban are not seeking technical discussions with the EU; they are seeking legitimacy,” she added.
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, had warned ahead of the meeting that inviting Taliban representatives would “insult the people of Afghanistan, especially women,” citing restrictions on women’s rights, education, and public life.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, including bans on secondary and higher education and limits on employment and public life. Human rights groups and UN experts have described the measures as amounting to “gender apartheid.”
