Germany ties diplomatic presence in Kabul to human rights, security

September 2, 2021

BRDO, Slovenia (Reuters) – Germany is ready to resume a diplomatic presence Kabul if the Taliban meet certain conditions, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday.

“We want to see an inclusive government (in Kabul), the respect for fundamental human and women’s rights – and Afghanistan must not again become a breeding ground for international terrorism,” Maas told reporters in Slovenia, where he met his EU counterparts to discuss Afghanistan following the the end of the international mission there and the Taliban’s takeover of power.

“If these requirements are met, and the security situation allows for it, we are ready to resume a diplomatic presence in Kabul,” he said.

Unlike Russia and China, the EU and most Western countries have closed their embassies in Kabul, reducing their opportunities to directly influence any new government there.

The foreign ministers were following in the tracks of EU defence ministers, who had met earlier in the day for talks also focusing on ways to prevent similar crises from spiralling out of control in future.

“There is a new reality in Afghanistan, whether we like it or not,” Maas said. “We don’t have the time to lick our wounds. If the EU is to play a role, which it should do, we have to act fast and very quickly find a common position on Afghanistan.”

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Robin Emmott; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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