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.” However, the international community will also make demands on the Taliban, which is now ruling Afghanistan. “Isolation is not an answer. But recognition is not a priority for us ”, said the Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, after a meeting with Maas.

The German government closed the embassy in Kabul after the Taliban came to power.

All diplomats have since left the country.

The former German ambassador to Afghanistan, 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,” Maas emphasized.

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.

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. “There is absolutely no getting around talks with the Taliban. We cannot afford instability in Afghanistan. ”But if the Taliban made demands, for example, for help, they would also have to respond to the conditions of the international community. For Germany, this included the recognition of human rights, the formation of an inclusive government, security guarantees and compliance with the promise that even after the withdrawal of the foreign troops, people would still be allowed to leave Afghanistan. Germany is ready to help, which is also necessary to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the Central Asian country in winter. "Anything beyond that will depend onhow things are developing here, how the Taliban are doing politics, ”emphasized Maas, with a view to the development cooperation that Germany and other countries have interrupted.

In Doha, Maas also pointed out that there are also different opinions in the region and in Europe about how to deal with the Taliban properly. In Qatar, the Foreign Minister finishes a five-country trip to Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Qatar, with which he wanted to facilitate the further evacuation of Germany, Afghan local staff and those in need of protection, as well as their families, also by land.

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.