BERLIN — The German government has reportedly agreed to allow six additional Taliban diplomats into the country following a multi-day confidential meeting with representatives of the de facto Afghan authorities in Istanbul. The development was first uncovered by the German public broadcaster NDR, indicating a significant practical shift in Berlin’s engagement with Kabul.
According to diplomatic sources, the private negotiations took place at a hotel in Istanbul, involving senior officials from Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior and diplomats from the Foreign Office. In response to inquiries, the German Interior Ministry confirmed that discussions had occurred at a “technical level,” though officials declined to provide further operational details.
The reported agreement is directly linked to Berlin’s efforts to accelerate and expand the deportation of Afghan nationals convicted of serious crimes. The Taliban administration had long conditioned its cooperation on deportation flights upon being permitted to expand its diplomatic presence in Germany. Taliban officials are legally required to verify identities and issue the official travel documentation necessary to execute forced returns.
Currently, Germany hosts only two Taliban-appointed consular officials, who operate out of Afghanistan’s embassy in Berlin and its consulate in Bonn without formal recognition as heads of mission. The arrival of six additional personnel would mark the largest expansion of the Taliban’s diplomatic footprint in Europe since their return to power in August 2021, a move that is expected to draw sharp criticism from human rights organizations and diaspora groups warning against the creeping normalization of the regime.
