Germany Accepts Four Taliban Diplomats to Facilitate Deportations of Convicted Afghan Migrants
German media outlet Deutsche Welle has reported that the German federal government has agreed to accept four diplomats nominated by the Taliban administration to facilitate the deportation of convicted Afghan migrants. Berlin stated that this move aims to provide the necessary documents for the return of individuals and is carried out within the framework of customary international law obligations.
Germany’s Ministry of the Interior said that the operation of diplomatic representations to issue substitute travel documents is a prerequisite for implementing deportations. Previously, the Afghan consulate in Bonn and the embassy in Berlin had been handed over to representatives nominated by the Taliban administration.
Alexander Dobrindt, Germany’s Minister of the Interior from the Christian Social Union party, has proposed that alongside individual deportations via commercial flights, three monthly charter flights to Afghanistan be allocated. He described the goal of this plan as speeding up the return of convicted individuals.
Although Germany does not officially recognize the Taliban administration as Afghanistan’s official government, reports indicate that technical communication channels with the administration have been opened to advance deportations. Friedrich Merz, from the Christian Democratic Union party, emphasized in the German parliament that Berlin “does not extend a hand of friendship to the Taliban regime,” but continues necessary technical cooperation in Germany’s interests.
This approach has faced widespread criticism from human rights organizations and refugee advocates. Several activists protested against the invitation of Taliban representatives to meetings related to migrant deportations in front of the European Commission building in Brussels, displaying a banner reading “Shame.”
Refugee advocacy groups have warned that accepting Taliban diplomats could further legitimize the administration, which faces serious global criticism due to widespread human rights violations, especially the systematic deprivation of women and girls from education, work, and public life. Helen Riener, executive director of the organization Pro Asyl, stated that this action signifies a new stage in relations between Germany and the Taliban and that contacts are gradually becoming institutionalized.
Alongside these developments, several diplomats from the previous Afghan government working in diplomatic missions have been forced to resign following the arrival of Taliban administration representatives. Some are now facing difficult residency situations and see no option but to seek asylum.
Hamid Nangiyali Kabiri, who worked for six years at the Afghan consulate in Bonn and at one point headed it, resigned in September 2025. He stated that he refused to cooperate with the German government’s request to work with Taliban administration representatives.
Additionally, Hannah Neumann, a member of the European Parliament, has warned that any official invitation, visa issuance, or meeting with the Taliban sends a clear political message and could strengthen the international status of the administration. She wrote on the X platform: “Every invitation, every visa, and every official meeting sends a political signal. The Taliban are not seeking technical discussions; they are seeking legitimacy.”
It is worth noting that a Taliban delegation met for the first time with European Union officials in Brussels on June 23, 2024. According to European Commission officials, the one-day meeting focused on the issue of deporting migrants to Afghanistan.
