Ursula von der Leyen has said that European Union (E.U.) does not recognise Taliban and that the Bloc is not holding any talks with the extremist group
The President of European Commission – Ursula von der Leyen has said that European Union (E.U.) does not recognise Taliban and that the Bloc is not holding any talks with the extremist group.
Her remarks came during a Press Conference after she visited a reception hub in Madrid, Spain for Afghan employees of E.U. bodies evacuated from Kabul. She also said that E.U. will provide funds to Member States who provide safe shelter to Afghan refugees.
She even thanked the Prime Minister of Spain – Pedro Sanchez and the High Representative of the E.U. for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – Josep Borrell Fontelles for setting up the reception hub.
Taking it to twitter, Ursula tweeted,
I am grateful to @sanchezcastejon and @JosepBorrellF for having taken the initiative to coordinate the reception of incoming Afghan EU Delegation staff and their families and for setting up this reception hub. https://t.co/Div1MY6Qqh
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 21, 2021
She further tweeted,
Moved by the outstanding commitment and extraordinary strength we have witnessed today at the reception hub in Torrejón, Madrid.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 21, 2021
It is our moral responsibility to help those who arrive in Spain, and those who remained in Afghanistan.
My full statement 👉 https://t.co/eOMb4jOdT0 pic.twitter.com/ZfEUr7RuVG
Calling for a combined effort as a moral responsibility, she emphasised that E.U. is firmly committed to supporting the NGOs operating in the Spain. To begin with, she announced planning an envelope of EUR 57 million for 2021, which will be increased. She also thanked the Member States who are taking the Afghan refugees.
She spoke about her concerns of refuges falling into the hands of smugglers and human traffickers. She urged that the E.U. must offer legal and safe routes globally, in coordination with the international community.
Separately, the Former Prime Minister of United Kingdom (U.K.) – Tony Blair has described the United States (U.S.’s) withdrawal from Afghanistan as “tragic, dangerous, and unnecessary”.
Speaking on the occasion, he said, “We didn’t need to do it. We chose to do it. We did it in obedience to an imbecilic political slogan about ending ‘the forever wars’ – as if our engagement in 2021 was remotely comparable to our commitment 20 or even 10 years ago.”
The comments are seen as a direct attack on the President of U.S. – Joe Biden, who used the phrase “forever wars” repeatedly during his presidential campaign last year.
One of Britain’s longest-serving leaders, he forged a close alliance with Former U.S. President – George W Bush during the United States’ “global war on terror”, launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
He said that it is the moral duty of U.K. to keep its troops in Afghanistan till the evacuation of all those fleeing Afghanistan is complete. He warned that Russia, China and Iran will take advantage of the situation.
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, 7 people died at the Airport during a chaos where people were running to board the flights.
