European Union Foreign Policy Commissioner Josep Borrell said that the future of Afghanistan has a direct impact on Europe's security, stressing that the Union must deal with the new regime in Afghanistan, but this is not recognition of it.
This came at a time when the foreign ministers of the Union are meeting in the Slovenian city of Kranj, to complete the discussion of foreign files, especially Afghanistan and relations with the Arab Gulf region and China.
Borrell said the union decided to "work collectively on outreach to the Taliban, including restoring diplomatic representation if security conditions permit."
He added that the European Union will launch a cooperation initiative with Afghanistan's neighbors to coordinate positions towards the new situation there, stressing that the EU "will judge the Taliban based on their commitment to form an inclusive government, and the pledge not to host terrorists."
quick reaction force
The European Union defense ministers concluded their meeting yesterday to discuss the developments in Afghanistan and their repercussions on the Union.
Borrell said that the union will discuss the formation of a joint military force for rapid intervention at the next meeting of defense ministers next November.
For his part, Slovenian Defense Minister Mate Tonin said that what he described as the setback in Afghanistan showed the extent to which the European Union's defense policy depends on the United States.
Calls have intensified in the past few days for the 27 countries of the Union to develop their own joint military capacity to respond quickly to crises, after the scenes of chaos at Kabul Airport that followed the Taliban's takeover.
The United States secured Kabul airport for evacuations until last Tuesday, and European countries were forced to halt their own evacuations earlier than they would like.