EU says will work with Taliban only if rights are respected

Josep Borrell says cooperation with future Afghan gov’t conditional on respect for rights and international obligations.

The European Union will only cooperate with the Afghan government following the Taliban’s return to power if it respects fundamental rights, including those of women, and prevents the use of Afghanistan’s territory by “terrorist organisations”, the bloc’s foreign policy chief says. Josep Borrell outlined the EU’s stance in a statement after an emergency meeting of European Union foreign ministers on Tuesday to discuss the Taliban’s quick seizure of the Afghan capital, Kabul. He said that to address “the worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan”, the EU would continue to provide assistance to the Afghan people.