Nobel Peace Prize Winner Critiques EU-Taliban Talks

Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, expressed her concerns on Tuesday regarding the European Union’s choice to welcome a Taliban delegation to Brussels for discussions focused on immigration. She emphasized that the Taliban should not be granted any legal recognition.

Reports indicated that Belgian authorities issued one-day entry visas to at least five Taliban members on Monday evening. These visas were meant to facilitate their visit to Brussels for talks with representatives of the European Commission about a potential repatriation agreement for Afghan migrants who have been deported from Europe.

While Belgian officials did not disclose specific details about the meeting’s timing or venue, it was confirmed that it took place sometime on Tuesday. Abdul Qahar Balki, the Taliban’s spokesperson for foreign affairs, allegedly led the delegation.

Malala, who famously survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban when she was a child in October 2012, has consistently condemned the Taliban’s oppressive policies regarding women. In a video shared on social media, she expressed that she was “disturbed and deeply disturbed” by the EU’s engagement with the Taliban in Brussels.

“This is the same Taliban that barred girls from continuing their education and forced them into marriages. They arrested numerous women in Herat recently due to their clothing choices. Furthermore, they detain, beat, and execute women who dare to protest or defy their rules,” Yousafzai stated.

She added, “The Taliban have effectively erased women and girls from the public sphere through their systematic gender apartheid. Europe must not imply legitimacy to a regime that is responsible for one of the most severe human rights crises in the world.” Malala insisted that any engagement with the Taliban should center around the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.

The EU faced heavy backlash following this series of talks, especially considering the numerous human rights violations committed by the Taliban, particularly against women and girls, leading up to this meeting.

EU officials have been reportedly working towards a repatriation agreement for Afghans who have been denied asylum in Europe, a move that aligns with regional demands to expel individuals seen as security threats. Between 2013 and 2024, about one million asylum applications from Afghans arrived in the EU, with roughly half of them approved.

An unnamed EU official mentioned that these discussions with the Taliban were “strictly technical” and that political representatives from the EU were intentionally absent to avoid any form of official recognition of the Taliban government, which has governed Afghanistan uncontested for nearly five years. Most countries worldwide do not acknowledge the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, and it seems this meeting occurred in a “neutral” location rather than within an EU institution.

In a statement attributed to Balki, it was claimed that discussions with EU officials covered efforts to “resume extensive consular services” for Afghans residing in the EU, as well as arrangements for the “dignified” return of those expelled from the EU.

“This was a historic visit, marking the first time a delegation from an Islamic emirate attended meetings with EU member states in Brussels,” Balki declared. “We aim to foster positive momentum to safeguard the consular rights of Afghans living abroad.”

A spokesperson from the European Commission detailed that 15 EU member states participated in a “technical” meeting with the Taliban delegation, focusing on the identification of Afghan returnees and the issuance of travel documents. The conversations also involved individuals deemed security threats due to serious offenses.

An anonymous Belgian Ministry of Asylum and Immigration source confirmed to a news agency that Belgium was among the 15 EU member states that participated in the dialogue with the Taliban.

Recently, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévost expressed his opposition to the EU’s invitation extended to the Taliban but noted he could not deny the necessary visas because Belgium houses the EU’s headquarters.

In another development, a German newspaper reported that Germany signed an agreement with the Taliban to establish a “deportation airlift” to Kabul, which would facilitate the deportation of Afghan nationals who have committed serious crimes in Germany. This plan includes three weekly deportation charter flights to Kabul alongside scheduled flights for individual repatriations.