Afghan delegation meets EU officials in Brussels

An Afghan delegation led by Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi completed meetings with EU officials in Brussels on Tuesday, according to a statement.

The delegation held bilateral and multilateral meetings with representatives of EU member states to discuss the resumption of consular services for Afghans residing in Europe, confidence-building measures, expanding engagement and ways to address the challenges faced by Afghans whose asylum applications had been rejected in Europe.

"It is hoped that this visit will open new avenues for positive engagement, strengthen efforts for addressing the issues faced by Afghans living abroad, and further expand cooperation based on mutual respect and shared interests," Balkhi wrote on US social media company X.

Zakir Jalali, director general of the second political department at the Foreign Ministry, wrote on X that the visit "marks an important milestone" in relations between Afghanistan and the EU. "It is the first-ever visit by a delegation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to Brussels.”

Belgium granted single-day visas to five members of the delegation, who had been invited by the European Commission to attend the talks, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot said Monday.

Prevot said last week that he opposed the European Commission's decision to invite the Taliban but noted that Belgium, as the host country of EU institutions, could not block invitations issued by the bloc.