Germany Agrees To Accept Six More Taliban Diplomats, Plans Up To Three Deportation Flights Monthly

Germany has agreed to accept six additional Taliban diplomats as part of an arrangement aimed at expanding deportations of Afghan nationals, according to a report by the public broadcaster NDR.

“Germany has agreed to allow six additional Taliban diplomats into the country as part of an arrangement aimed at expanding deportations of Afghan nationals, according to a report by the public broadcaster NDR”

Amu TV

NDR said the agreement emerged from confidential talks last week in Istanbul between senior German Interior Ministry officials and representatives of the Taliban administration, and Germany’s Foreign Office confirmed that the meeting was held in Istanbul.

Amu TV

Germany’s Interior Ministry confirmed to NDR that discussions had taken place at a “technical level” between ministry officials and Taliban representatives but declined to comment on the reported arrangement.

The report said Germany plans to increase charter deportation flights to Afghanistan to as many as three per month, with deportations on commercial flights also remaining possible.

NDR added that the Taliban had long conditioned broader cooperation on deportations on being allowed to expand their diplomatic presence in Germany, with Taliban officials reportedly needed to verify identities and issue travel documents required for return.

The European Union is reviewing deportation of Afghan nationals, with Brussels contacting the Taliban government to assess the feasibility of these deportations, DW said.

A European Commission spokesperson told DW that EU authorities have carried out two "technical missions" to Afghanistan, the latest in January, to examine the "readmission framework" and the possibility of organizing returns.

DW

DW reported that a majority of the 27 member states now support returning asylum seekers to Afghanistan, while Arifat Jamal, the UNHCR representative in Afghanistan, described the trend as "highly concerning" and said it relies more on emotion than on reason.

In parallel, Barwa Zol called on the German government to immediately halt the deportation of Afghan refugees from Germany, warning that cooperation with the Taliban runs counter to the human rights situation in Afghanistan.

Barwa Zol also criticized what it described as a clear deterioration in the standards for accepting asylum applications, especially for single men, as it framed Berlin’s cooperation as undermining refugees’ rights.

El País reported that Germany plans to allow four Taliban consular officials to enter the country to speed up expulsions, as Berlin negotiates with the Taliban to improve deportation possibilities to Afghanistan.

“Authorities will allow four consular officials from that country to enter the country to speed up expulsions”

El País

El País quoted a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry saying, "The objective of the government [Germany] is very clear: to improve the possibilities of deportation to Afghanistan and repatriate criminals there."

El País said the pact provides for a substantial increase in repatriations, with up to three charter flights per month apart from individual deportations on commercial flights.

The same report said the Taliban insisted on being able to send more staff to Germany to identify criminals and, only then, issue travel documents, and it described the German government’s response as "The result is satisfactory."

El País also reported that Berlin closed an agreement with the Taliban last week after secret negotiations and that, in August 2024, 28 men were moved to Kabul with the help of Qatar, while a charter plane last week took off from Leipzig with 32 Afghan men on board.