Sharjah 24 – AFP: The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday the bloc will have to talk to the Taliban after the group seized control of Afghanistan.
"The Taliban have won the war, so we will have to talk with them," he said, while stressing this does not mean moving quickly to officially recognise their rule.
Borrell was speaking after an urgent meeting of EU foreign ministers, called after the rebels overthrew the Afghan government.
Borrell said Brussels would "engage in a dialogue as soon as necessary to prevent a humanitarian and a potential migratory disaster".
"This dialogue will also have to focus on the means to prevent the return of a foreign terrorist presence in Afghanistan," he added.
"It is not a matter of official recognition, it is a matter of dealing with them," he said.
"If I want 400 people, Afghans and their families, that have been working for us today in the European Union delegations, to reach the airport, you can understand that I will need to talk with the Taliban authorities.
"If not, it's going to be quite difficult for them to reach the airport... It's going to be a quite complicated logistical operation.
"So we have to engage with them. And at the same time, remain very vigilant on the respect of their international obligations," he said.
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