But EU officials have said they are willing to cooperate with the Taliban now that they have returned to power. Following meetings with European foreign affairs ministers in Slovenia, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that to gauge the Taliban’s good will, the bloc would use several benchmarks. “Our engagement will depend on the fulfillment of these conditions,“ Borrell said. To ensure the evacuation of EU nationals and Afghan staff under the protection of member states and to assess how the Taliban respect the bloc’s conditions, Borrell said that ministers agreed to establish a “joint European Union presence“ in Kabul, if security conditions are met. Foreign affairs ministers also acknowledged the need to coordinate with Afghanistan’s neighbors through an EU regional political platform of cooperation aimed at stabilizing the whole region.

Source: thestar September 03, 2021 12:33 UTC