LJUBLJANA, September 3. /TASS/. The EU foreign ministers have announced that Brussels will interact with the new government in Afghanistan formed by the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) without recognizing it politically for the sake of the local population," top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said at an ad hoc press conference held as part of the informal EU foreign minister meeting in Ljubljana.
"We remain committed to supporting the Afghan population. In order to support the Afghan population, we will have to engage with the new government in Afghanistan, which does not mean recognition. It is an operational engagement. And this operational engagement will increase depending on the behavior of this government," he said.
"The following are the benchmarks that we discussed as a basis for the EU engagement with the Afghan powerholder, following the Taliban takeover. We will judge the behavior," he said. Borrell named five such benchmarks: new authorities’ fight against terrorism, human rights observation, especially women, creation of a transitional government, humanitarian access, guarantees for those wishing to leave.
The EU can bring back its diplomatic mission to Kabul to engage in dialogue and track the implementation of these benchmarks if there are suitable security conditions.
On August 31, the EU foreign policy service announced that its 520 diplomats and EU mission to Kabul staffers, including local personnel and family members, had been fully evacuated.