Taliban asked the EU to remove Pauwels as EU Delegation head of Afghanistan?

New Delhi: Whispering rumours are rife in diplomatic and political circles in Kabul that the Taliban has asked the EU to remove Pauwels as EU Delegation of Afghanistan who left the country on August 23. Arnout Pauwels was Deputy head of the European Union’s (EU) delegation in Kabul.

Pauwels wrote on Twitter, “You can take the diplomat out of Afghanistan, but you can’t take Afghanistan out of the diplomat.”

#Afghanistan - Leaving #Kabul today. Soon ending my EU mission. Experienced @RaffaellaIodic2 replaces me @EUinAfghanistan - “You can take the diplomat out of AFG, but you can’t take AFG out of the diplomat.” Turbulent times. An honor having been hosted by the country & the people https://t.co/KmpDy5IcRW

— Arnout Pauwels (@ArnoutPauwels) August 23, 2022

Pauwels also said that he will be leaving Afghanistan and stated that it is a turbulent time.

According to Pauwels, Raffaella Iodice will soon replace him as the head of the EU delegation in Afghanistan. The appointment of a female diplomat as the head of the EU delegation in Kabul is symbolically interpreted as the strict stance of the European Union regarding its support of women's rights in Afghanistan.

Earlier in an interview with TOLOnews Arnout Pauwels, emphasized the importance of girls’ access to education and observation of human rights in the country.

“The number one issue is girls’ going to school. It is the number one issue for the European Union. The second one is allowing women to go back to work, and the third is in general human rights, freedom of media, respect for the rights of life, no extra judicial killings and after that it is about building a more cohesive political system,” he said.

Recognition of Taliban government in Afghanistan

The international community has put girls’ education, human rights and prevention of the use of Afghan soil by the terrorist group as the main condition for recognition of the caretaker government of Afghanistan.

Pauwels said that recognition of the Islamic Emirate is a long process.

“I see recognition as the result of a long process and not as the start of something. It is not correct to think that (we) will recognize and then things will get better. No, first things have to get better and then we can talk about recognition,” Pauwels said.

This comes as earlier, the Islamic Emirate said the international community’s call for the formation of an inclusive government is interference in Afghanistan. But the deputy head of the European Union delegation in Afghanistan said it is not an intervention.