Germany takes lead as EU navigates how to engage with Taliban regime

Share

Financial Times, 8 September 2021

AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted on a possible working relationship between donor countris and the new Taleban regime:

Thomas Ruttig, of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent research organisation, said that establishing a working relationship with the Taliban was vital to deliver humanitarian assistance and stave off a collapse in the country’s economy.

“There is experience that we have from Taliban 1.0. There were no diplomatic relations but international NGOs were functioning there. Charities like Save the Children have been in Afghanistan for a long time, and they should stay,” he added.

But Ruttig was sceptical over whether Germany could play a special role in the diplomatic overtures to the Taliban. “It’s a fact that Germany has a better image than some other countries, for example Russia. But 20 years of being part of the western mission to Afghanistan have undermined that reputation,” he said. “On the political level the Taliban have made clear that Germany is part of the opposing force.”