European Union to allocate one billion euros to Afghanistan / Article

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday pledged € 1 billion in aid to Afghanistan to avert a humanitarian and socio-economic collapse. EU representatives met for the first time with representatives of the radical Taliban in Afghanistan to discuss the country’s future.

Afghanistan’s economy relied heavily on foreign aid before the departure of Western forces, but with the rise of the Taliban, the United States and other Western countries froze funds for Afghanistan, with dramatic consequences. Due to the lack of funding, many basic services, including health care, are not provided in many places.

The consequences can affect the whole world

“This is a crucial moment. If we do not act as soon as possible and help the Afghans to overcome this situation, everyone will soon feel the consequences,” said UN Secretary-General Antoniu Guteresre.

“Without food, without work, without law enforcement, Afghans will be refugees. Drug trafficking, crime and terrorism are likely to increase. And that could affect the whole world.”

European Commission President Urzula von der Leiena has announced that € 250 million of the € 1 billion allocated to Afghanistan will be in addition to the € 300 million urgently needed for emergency humanitarian needs in Brussels. The rest will go to Afghanistan’s neighbors, which have hosted Afghans fleeing the Taliban regime.

Von der Leiena said that aid through international organizations would reach the Afghans, bypassing the Taliban’s interim government, which is not recognized by Brussels.

One million children could starve to death

Nevertheless, EU Foreign Minister Joseph Borrell met with Taliban on Qatar on Tuesday. Borrell’s office said the face-to-face meeting provided an opportunity to express the EU’s position on respect for Afghan women’s rights and concerns about the possible refuge of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s economy has been in rapid decline since the Taliban came to power, but more and more people are left without a livelihood. The situation has been exacerbated by the Western decision to freeze Afghan government funds and disconnect the country from the international financial system.

“The humanitarian and socio-economic situation in Afghanistan is on the verge of collapse. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, at least one million children are at risk of starvation this winter unless they receive appropriate help,” warns Borrell.

Russia will hold a separate conference

This is the first time that the world’s richest countries have discussed the consequences of the departure of foreign forces in Afghanistan. And the key question was how to help the Afghan people, while not acknowledging the Taliban government, which is being criticized for human rights abuses and other abuses.

However, countries have different understandings of how to deal with Afghanistan. For example, Russia and China oppose Western policies that want to make political demands of the Taliban as a condition for assistance.

The fact that there is diplomatic tension between the countries is also shown by the fact that Russia will hold its own conference on Afghanistan on October 20 in Moscow. Pakistan, India and Iran are invited.

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