Closure of Afghan diplomatic missions in Europe sparks protests and concern over Taliban control

Following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, many Afghan overseas diplomatic missions severed ties with Afghanistan’s de facto authorities, continuing to provide consular services to Afghans abroad as they had under the previous Afghan administration. However, the Taliban has been consistently trying to take control of these consulates and embassies, to ensure “good interactions” and “official relations” with the international community.

In March 2023, the Taliban’s Spokesperson told Tolonews that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) had sent diplomats to Pakistan, Iran, China, Russia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, as well as several Arab and African countries. He added that efforts were underway to assume control of the operations of additional Afghan embassies and consulates.

According to a statement issued by the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on 30 July 2024, despite repeated requests, many overseas diplomatic missions refused to coordinate their work with the Taliban in Kabul. As such, the MoFA stated it would no longer recognise consular services – including passport renewals and visa issuance – from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany (Bonn and Berlin), Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. Since then, several European governments have advised their Afghan diplomatic representatives to coordinate their work with the Taliban.

Following the MoFA announcement, international media reported on the imminent closure of Afghan diplomatic missions in Norway and the UK, on 12 September and 9 September 2024, respectively, following the dismissal of embassy staff, including ambassadors. According to Radio Free Europe, both British and Norwegian governments have insisted that the move does not amount to formal recognition of the Taliban, and noted that the buildings that housed these diplomatic missions would eventually be handed over to a “recognised” government of Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the fate of the Afghan embassy in Berlin and consulate in Bonn, Germany remain unknown, however a senior Afghan diplomat in Europe told Amu TV that the German government had informally urged Afghanistan’s embassy in Berlin to resolve its issues with the Taliban to ensure ongoing operations. The source added that Germany was the only country that had formally responded to a letter from the Taliban’s MoFA. The consulate in Munich, however, is likely to remain operational, as it has already coordinated its activities with the Taliban.

A series of reactions from the Afghan diaspora followed the decision to close the diplomatic missions and increase coordination with the Taliban. Some claim it amounts to normalisation of relations with the Taliban, while others have expressed concerns over the potential disruption of consular services. Many also raised safety concerns regarding the Taliban’s potential access to information regarding Afghans who served alongside international forces over the past two decades, should the diplomatic missions be handed over to Afghanistan’s de facto authorities.

Political concerns

On 12 September 2024, the National Resistance Front (NRF) issued a statement expressing concern over the closure of several Afghan diplomatic missions across Europe. The anti-Taliban movement said that it opposed any engagement that would lead to Taliban control of diplomatic entities. The statement noted that embassies were the only remaining addresses of the people of Afghanistan, the closure of which would add to the problems of Afghan immigrants and asylum seekers. It also highlighted security repercussions for Afghan refugees of entrusting diplomatic missions to the Taliban, arguing that the Taliban’s access to these entities would allow the group to develop cases against Afghan refugees in Europe, including the thousands of Afghan citizens who helped international forces in Afghanistan.

On previous occasions, the NRF, alongside the National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan, opposed Iranian and Chinese initiatives to hand over Afghan embassies to the Taliban.

On 29 August 2024, the Coordination Council of the Diplomatic Missions of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan also expressed concern over the Taliban’s goal of assuming control of Afghan diplomatic missions in Europe. In an official statement, the group claimed that any changes to the status quo could have profound negative consequences for the Afghan diaspora in Europe.

Amidst announcements of closures of diplomatic missions in Europe, Rina Amiri, the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights, at the 57th session of the UN’s Human Rights Council on 9 September 2024, asked the world not to normalise ties with the Taliban until there was a “profound shift” in the group’s conduct.

Protests against European states’ decisions to close diplomatic missions, increase coordination with Taliban

On 7 September 2024, Voice of America (VOA) reported that a dozen Afghan citizens gathered in front of the German Foreign Office in Berlin to protest the German government’s reported coordination with the Taliban, regarding Afghan diplomatic missions on German soil. Fawzia Wahdat, one of the protest organisers, told VOA that the protesters were calling on the German government to list the Taliban as a terrorist movement, and were protesting the normalisation of relations with the Taliban.

Days later, on 11 September 2024, another group of Afghan citizens gathered in front of the German Foreign Office in Berlin, to protest against any engagement with the Taliban. Participants claimed that entrusting Afghan diplomatic missions to the Taliban could increase the risk of terrorism spillover to Germany and the rest of Europe. They added that any engagement with the Taliban would amount to cooperation with a terrorist group that does not believe in human rights or political conventions.

Zahid, a participant in the protest, told Afghanistan International that the German government had international obligations that it had to uphold; he explained that the protests were reminders of the government’s commitment to fight terrorism, adding that the Taliban was a terrorist group that Germany fought for 20 years alongside other international forces.

In addition to these protests, several members of the Spontaneous Movement of Protesting Women in Afghanistan, a US-run organisation with many members in Afghanistan, condemned the German government’s decision to increase coordination with the Taliban around the diplomatic missions, claiming it was a betrayal of Afghan women.

Afghan citizens in Norway raised similar concerns. Several who spoke with Azadi Radio said that they would face many problems when the embassy closed, including the need to go to other countries to obtain passports and birth certificates.