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The French president says he is considering opening a joint mission but has denied recognition by Taliban authorities.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that several European nations were considering opening a joint diplomatic mission in Afghanistan, but stressed that it did not mean recognizing the country’s Taliban authorities.
Western countries are exploring how to link up with the Taliban, which advanced in a lightning advance in Afghanistan in August as U.S.-led forces emerge after 20 years of war.
“We are thinking of an organization between different European countries … a common location for many Europeans, which would allow our ambassadors to be there,” Macron told Doha reporters before heading to his next destination, Saudi Arabia.
“This is a march other than political recognition or political dialogue with the Taliban … we will have a delegation as soon as we can open it,” he said.
The French president has confirmed that this initiative will not involve political recognition or political dialogue with the Taliban.
In a statement following talks with the Taliban a week ago, he suggested that the European Union could open a mission soon.
“The EU delegation stressed that the possibility of establishing a minimum presence on the ground in Kabul, which will not be recognized, will depend directly on the security situation, as well as the de facto decision of the EU authorities to ensure effective protection of workers and premises,” he said.
‘Recognition is missing’
Al Jazeera’s Rob McBride reported in Kabul that the situation in Afghanistan was deteriorating, with the Taliban “welcoming diplomatic moves that would help.”
“This is a lack of recognition, the people of Afghanistan understand that. But the interesting thing is that, as a member of the European Union, France is not setting up an office on its own … but it can help bring in other Europeans,” he added.
Macron, meanwhile, also praised Qatar’s role in helping evacuate Europeans from Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power after the fall of the Western-backed government.
New Afghan authorities have called on the international community to remove diplomatic recognition and sanctions as they struggle to revive the country’s economy, which has been cut off from international financial institutions. The country’s infrastructure was already in decline as a result of decades of war and US-led military occupation.
The U.S. has frozen nearly $ 10 billion in Afghan central bank reserves and international financial institutions have suspended funding for the country’s development, plunging the aid-dependent economy into crisis and warning economists and aid groups of a humanitarian catastrophe.
As the winter season begins, aid organizations have warned of a humanitarian crisis. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) this week described the “worrying” socio-economic outlook for Afghanistan over the next 13 months.
In Afghanistan, more than 24 million people are in need of life-saving assistance, driven by political turmoil, economic turmoil and severe food security.
UNDP predicts that poverty may become almost universal by mid-2022.
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