EU has no option but to engage with Taliban govt

KABUL (Pajhwok): The European Union says it has no option but to engage with the Taliban government and maintain a diplomatic presence in Kabul.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told the European parliament the bloc could only influence future developments by engaging with the new Afghan government.

The Guardian quoted Borrell as saying: “The embassies of the member states have been closed and they are not going to reopen but we still have a delegation that can be seen …”

He called the rapid collapse of the previous Afghan government a “tragedy” that had proven that “nation building” was more difficult than ex-US president George Bush had fathomed.

The EU would not recognise the Taliban government but it had much to gain from staying engaged with the Taliban administration, he insisted.

PAN Monitor/mud