The German embassy in Kabul is orphaned, the last diplomats left Afghanistan last week. But it may be that some will return in the not too distant future.
Even after the militant Islamist Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, Germany is striving for diplomatic representation in the capital, Kabul, under certain conditions.
“If it were politically possible and if the security situation allows, then Germany should again have its own embassy in Kabul,” said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Tuesday during a visit to Qatar. At the moment they are in close coordination, especially with the European partners on this topic.
Maas also emphasized that diplomatic representation would not mean recognition of a Taliban government. “At the moment it is not about the question of recognition under international law,” he said. “It’s about solving very practical problems.”
Maas ends his four-day trip to five countries linked to the Afghanistan crisis on Wednesday. Since Sunday he has been visiting Turkey and then Afghanistan’s neighbors Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Pakistan. Qatar is the last stop.
The German government closed the embassy in Kabul after the Taliban came to power. All diplomats have since left the country. Ambassador Markus Potzel is currently negotiating with the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha about the departure of refugees from Afghanistan. The Taliban have their political office there, which acts as a kind of foreign ministry.
“There is a great need for a diplomatic presence because we also have a lot of issues in Afghanistan,” stressed Maas. He mentioned the efforts to get former employees of the Bundeswehr and the federal government out of the country. “We will have to deal with this topic for a long time to come. That’s why we need the contacts. ” Maas emphasized, however, that the reopening of the embassy will depend on the specific policies of the Taliban and on the security situation.
Only a few countries such as Russia, China and Turkey currently operate their embassies in Kabul. Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) also said on Tuesday that there were talks with countries such as France, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Italy about a diplomatic presence in Kabul in order to be able to “establish continuous dialogue with the Taliban”. “It’s just about having diplomats around who can talk to the Taliban.”
Merkel pointed out that the Taliban would be relocating their presence from Doha to Kabul these days. They are expected to present a government shortly.
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