EU agree to re-establish joint presence in Kabul

Brussels, Sep 4 Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU) have agreed to re-establish a joint presence in Kabul to ensure the safe departure of the bloc's nationals and Afghans who are considered at risk and who could be received by member states, a top diplomat said.

Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a press conference on Friday after an informal meeting of the Foreign Ministers that this task was conditional on whether security conditions are met for talks with the new government in Afghanistan, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We have been tasked by the Council on coordinating the contacts with the Taliban, the new government in Afghanistan, including with a joint European Union presence in Kabul if the security conditions allow for it," he said.

"From there, we should support the departure of European nationals that are still there and Afghans at risk that could be received by EU member states... All member states still have quite an important number of either nationals or Afghans that have been cooperating with them or that have been identified as people at risk," he added.

The second task that the Ministers agreed on was the engagement with regional and relevant international partners to create a regional political platform of cooperation with Afghanistan's neighbours to face together the challenges created by the new situation.

Addressing an earlier press conference preceding the ministerial meeting, Borrell said the EU was ready to engage but the Taliban must respect human rights, including those of women, and not allow Afghanistan to become a breeding ground for militants.