EU Holds Talks With Haqqani on Security and Anti-Drug Aid
As Nicola Blom begins his mission as the European Union’s new chargé d’affaires in Afghanistan, he met in Kabul with Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban-run Interior Ministry’s acting minister, to discuss Afghanistan’s security situation and the continuation of cooperation related to counter-narcotics efforts.
The Taliban-run Interior Ministry said in a statement that Haqqani stressed the importance of “preserving bilateral relations,” expanding cooperation and continuing “effective efforts against narcotics,” and called for continued assistance in this area. According to the ministry, Haqqani described relations between Afghanistan and the European Union as “positive.”
The Taliban-run Interior Ministry statement said the two sides also discussed Afghanistan’s security situation, but it did not specify which aspects of the security environment were covered in the talks.
Nicola Blom, an Italian diplomat, recently began work as the EU’s chargé d’affaires in Afghanistan. On 6 October, he wrote on X that he had taken on the role of representing the European Union’s interests in Afghanistan with “great honour.”
Blom previously headed the Africa department at the European External Action Service and also served as the EU ambassador to Rwanda. Despite not recognising the Taliban administration, the European Union has kept its office in Kabul open since the developments of August 2021 and has continued diplomatic activity at chargé d’affaires level.
