Czech Republic will not recognise Taliban 'under any circumstances': FM
Sep 12, 2021
Prague [Czech Republic], September 13 : The Czech Republic on Sunday said that the country would not recognise the Taliban "under any circumstances".
However, the country's Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek added that it will still be necessary to maintain some contacts with the outfit, which last month took control of Afghanistan, Sputnik reported.
"We find ourselves in a situation where the Taliban are the new masters of Afghanistan. I am not happy about this, but we will have to accept the reality as it is. Speaking on behalf of the Czech Republic, I can say that we will not recognize the Taliban under any circumstances," Kulhanek told journalists before leaving for the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, adding that it will still be necessary to maintain some contacts with the movement.
The minister stressed the importance of a common EU approach toward the Taliban.
"In particular, we are ready to participate in tackling the issues of migration in the region because we definitely do not want illegal migrants from Afghanistan coming to Europe," Kulhanek stated.
Following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in mid-August, the situation in Afghanistan has been dominating the international agenda, with key global and regional powers trying to find ways to ensure stability and security in Central Asia.
Last week, Gunnar Wiegand, the European Commission's managing director for Asia and the Pacific said that the European Union is in no hurry to recognise the Taliban nor to establishing official relations with the group.
"We need to communicate with the Taliban, we need to influence the Taliban, we need to make use of the leverages that we have but we will not rush into recognizing this new formation nor to establishing official relations," Wiegand had said at a joint session of the European Parliament's committees with the delegation for relations with Afghanistan.
