Gerhard Karner, Austria’s Minister of the Interior, says that the country will continue ‘technical talks’ with the Taliban.
He said today (Thursday, December 4th) in the Austrian Federal Council that these talks are necessary for the deportation of those Afghan migrants who have committed crimes.
The Austrian Interior Minister emphasized that the talks with the Taliban are not diplomatic and are purely technical in nature.
Karner had previously stated in late October that ‘criminal’ Afghan migrants must be returned, emphasizing that ‘this difficult and necessary path will certainly continue.’ At that time, which coincided with the deportation of one migrant to Afghanistan, he said Austria was preparing to deport more ‘criminals’ to the country.
A trend that encompasses all of Europe
On October 18th, representatives from 20 European countries gathered to find ways for the deportation of Afghan migrants. They asked the European Commission to prioritize the expulsion of undocumented Afghan migrants.
In a letter to Magnus Brunner, the European Union’s Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, these countries said that the inability to deport these individuals poses a threat to European security and undermines public confidence in asylum policies.
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Slovakia signed this letter.
They also called for dialogue with the Taliban to reach an agreement on the return of Afghan migrants.
These European countries suggested that those Afghan migrants deemed dangerous or criminal should be prioritized for deportation.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has declared Afghanistan ‘unsafe’ for the return of migrants.
European Union holds talks with the Taliban
The European Union announced at least twice that it has established contact with the Taliban for the purpose of deporting Afghan migrants.
The Union stated that these communications are part of efforts to facilitate the return process for Afghan migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected in European countries.
Markus Lambert, the spokesperson for the European Commission’s Executive Body, said that the European Commission is working to coordinate among member states. He added: ‘Earlier this year (2025), we initiated exploratory contacts at a technical level with the de facto authorities of Afghanistan (the Taliban).
