EU says, No hurry to recognise or to establish official relations with Taliban

The European Union is in no hurry to recognise the Taliban nor to establishing official relations with the group, said Gunnar Wiegand, the European Commission's managing director for Asia and the Pacific on Wednesday.

"We need to communicate with the Taliban, we need to influence the Taliban, we need to make use of the leverages that we have but we will not rush into recognizing this new formation nor to establishing official relations," Sputnik quoted Wiegand as saying at a joint session of the European Parliament's committees with the delegation for relations with Afghanistan.

Earlier, Wiegand said the EU mission in Afghanistan has evacuated 520 members and Afghan support staff, including family members, from Kabul.

He further stated that the EU mission in Afghanistan would continue its work in Brussels. They will return to Afghanistan when the situation permits, Sputnik reported.

Meanwhile, the United States forces left Afghanistan on Tuesday morning, marking the end of a chaotic and messy exit from America's longest war.

Earlier today, US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin III said that the United States has evacuated about 6,000 American citizens and a total of more than 124,000 civilians from Afghnaistan.

Austin also honours those who died over the course of the war in Afghanistan. "Our forces risked their own lives to save the lives of others, and 13 of our very best, paid the ultimate price," he said.

(ANI)

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