The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed this Thursday that, although Paris is still not considering officially recognizing the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, it is maintaining conversations with some of their representatives to organize the return of undocumented, "dangerous" individuals from the Asian country "who pose a risk to national security" in France.
The spokesperson for French diplomacy, Pascal Confavreux, explained in statements collected by the broadcaster Radio France Internationale (RFI) that "this is a strictly technical dialogue to facilitate the expulsion of Afghan citizens who are illegally in national territory and who pose a risk to national security."
Confavreux reiterated that "they are dangerous people" and, without providing data on how many Afghans could be returned, emphasized that this channel of communication with the Taliban constitutes "a step to ensure the safety of French citizens."
Despite this exchange, Foreign Affairs insists that it is not considering recognizing the Taliban regime, a position shared by the majority of European Union partners, including Spain, more than five years after the fundamentalist group regained power in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. troops, deployed for nearly two decades.
With this decision, France aligns itself with other community countries such as Germany, Belgium, or Sweden, which have opted to expedite the expulsion of Afghans in irregular situations, especially those who have been convicted of crimes such as human trafficking or violence against individuals.
Germany, in particular, has established a direct communication channel with the Taliban authorities to manage these returns. This avenue has generated criticism, as, on one hand, the German government rejects recognizing the regime due to its human rights violations and, on the other, cooperates with it and is "making concessions" to make repatriations possible.
At the same time, the United Nations and various NGOs have expressed their rejection of these deportation plans, arguing that the situation in Afghanistan does not guarantee safe conditions for forced returns, especially in light of constant reports of abuses and violations of human rights in the country.