Latest news with #FAZ
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Taliban sends envoys to Germany to coordinate deportations
BERLIN: The German government said Monday that two new envoys had been sent by Afghanistan's Taliban administration to help coordinate deportations, days after 81 convicted Afghans were sent back to their homeland. The flight on Friday was the second from Germany since expulsions to Afghanistan resumed last year. Germany does not recognize the Taliban leaders in Afghanistan but does have 'technical contacts' on the deportations, which have been facilitated by Qatar. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said that during the exchanges 'it has been agreed that two representatives of the Afghan administration will be incorporated' into Afghanistan's missions in Germany. A foreign ministry source later confirmed to AFP that the two envoys had arrived in Germany over the weekend. 'They are currently going through the normal registration process before they begin their work,' the source said. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) daily, the two envoys will work at the Afghan embassy in Berlin and at the country's consulate in the western city of Bonn. The Taliban authorities demanded this step in return for making last Friday's flight possible, the paper reported. The FAZ said that the envoys had already worked in consular services and were not considered extremists. Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban movement's return to power in 2021. However last year the last German government resumed expulsions with a flight in August carrying 28 Afghans. Current chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to continue deportations, having made a tougher line on immigration a key campaign theme in February's general election. Kornelius said that further flights were in the offing. 'The government has committed to systematic expulsions of those convicted of crimes and this will not be accomplished with just one flight,' he said.
Euractiv
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euractiv
In EU first, Germany to allow Taliban officials to work at Afghan missions
BERLIN – Germany has become the first EU country to allow Afghanistan's Taliban regime to send officials to Germany to assist with the deportation of Afghan nationals. This move follows a push from Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt for direct talks with the radical Islamist Taliban to facilitate regular deportations of rejected asylum seekers and convicted offenders to Afghanistan. Such flights had been largely halted due to diplomatic and human rights concerns after the militia toppled the Western-backed government in 2021. But Germany resumed deportations to Afghanistan on Friday – only the second such flight since 2021. As part of this arrangement, mediated by Qatar, the German government has approved the deployment of two Afghan consular officers to Germany, it confirmed on Monday. The officials would "support further planned deportation flights", said government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius. Berlin has insisted that this did not constitute recognition of the Taliban, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), which first reported the decision on Friday. Russia is currently the only country to have officially recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government, following an announcement three weeks ago. Still, Germany's decision marks a significant policy shift, as the newly elected government has pledged to crack down on illegal migration after a series of violent attacks linked to rejected asylum-seekers earlier this year. It also led a group of EU interior ministers, who called for regular deportations to Afghanistan and Syria at a dedicated migration summit on Friday. Norway, a non-EU member, is so far the only European country to have accepted an acting Taliban envoy, however. Germany maintains no formal diplomatic ties with the Taliban, with the German government saying there was only strictly technical cooperation on a regular basis. The two Afghan officials have previously worked for the Western-backed government and had no known history of extremism, according to the FAZ . They could arrive "soon" and would be based at the Afghan embassy in Berlin and the consulate in Bonn, without holding formal diplomatic rank. (aw)
Local Germany
2 days ago
- Politics
- Local Germany
Taliban to send envoys to Germany to work on deportations
The flight on Friday was the second from Germany since expulsions to Afghanistan were resumed last year. Germany does not recognise the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan but does have "technical contacts" on the deportations, which have been facilitated by Qatar. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said that during the exchanges "it has been agreed that two representatives of the Afghan administration will be incorporated" into Afghanistan's missions in Germany. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) daily, the two envoys will work at the Afghan embassy in Berlin and at the country's consulate in the western city of Bonn. The Taliban authorities demanded this step in return for making last Friday's flight possible, the paper reported. The FAZ said that the names of the envoys had been sent to Berlin and that they had already worked in consular services and were not considered extremists. Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban movement's return to power in 2021. READ ALSO: Germany presses ahead with deportations to Afghanistan However in 2024 the last German government resumed expulsions with a flight in August carrying 28 Afghans. Current chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to continue deportations, having made a tougher line on immigration a key campaign theme in February's general election. Kornelius said that further flights were in the offing. Advertisement "The government has committed to systematic expulsions of those convicted of crimes and this will not be accomplished with just one flight," he said.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Taliban to send envoys to Germany to work on deportations
BERLIN: The German government said Monday that Afghanistan's Taliban administration will send two envoys to Germany to help with deportations, days after 81 convicted Afghans were sent back to their homeland. The flight on Friday was the second from Germany since expulsions to Afghanistan were resumed last year. Germany does not recognise the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan but does have 'technical contacts' on the deportations, which have been facilitated by Qatar. Government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said that during the exchanges 'it has been agreed that two representatives of the Afghan administration will be incorporated' into Afghanistan's missions in Germany. Germany must honour visa obligations to Afghan refugees, rules court According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) daily, the two envoys will work at the Afghan embassy in Berlin and at the country's consulate in the western city of Bonn. The Taliban authorities demanded this step in return for making last Friday's flight possible, the paper reported. The FAZ said that the names of the envoys had been sent to Berlin and that they had already worked in consular services and were not considered extremists. Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban movement's return to power in 2021. However last year the last German government resumed expulsions with a flight in August carrying 28 Afghans. Current chancellor Friedrich Merz has vowed to continue deportations, having made a tougher line on immigration a key campaign theme in February's general election. Kornelius said that further flights were in the offing. 'The government has committed to systematic expulsions of those convicted of crimes and this will not be accomplished with just one flight,' he said.
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
S Jaishankar asked about US role in India-Pakistan ceasefire, China's involvement in conflict. His reply
External affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has dismissed the idea of thanking the United States for the May 10 understanding that led to a halt in military action between India and Pakistan, stating that the ceasefire was a result of direct contact between military commanders of both sides and crediting the Indian military for compelling Islamabad to agree to stop. On China's role in the conflict, Jaishankar pointed out that many of the weapons used by Pakistan were of Chinese origin and highlighted the close ties between the two countries. 'You can draw your own conclusions from that,' he said. In an interview with German newspaper FAZ, Jaishankar said, 'The cessation of firing was agreed between the military commanders of both sides through direct contact...I thank the Indian military because it was the Indian military action that made Pakistan say: We are ready to stop.' Jaishankar said India effectively hit and incapacitated Pakistan's main airbases and air defence systems that forced the neighbouring country to seek ending of the hostilities. "So who should I thank for the cessation of hostilities? I thank the Indian military because it was the Indian military action that made Pakistan say, 'We are ready to stop'," he said. Jaishankar said terrorist organisations are "openly" operating from the cities and towns of Pakistan. Under Operation Sindoor, India carried out precision strikes on nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Pakistani attempts were strongly responded to by the Indian side. Foreign secretary Vikram Misri on May 10 announced that India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect. The external affairs minister was in Berlin on the third and final leg of his three-nation tour of the We fired back in self-defence, and once the Pakistanis understood that they were taking a harmful course, we were able to stop firing," he said., Denmark and Germany.
