Afghan Diplomats Association Asks Netherlands to Suspend Taliban’s Representation in Hague

Association for Coordination of Diplomats of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan asked the Netherlands to take necessary measures to suspend the activities of the "Taliban representative" at the Afghan embassy in The Hague.

The association said that the representative of the Taliban can spread extremism using diplomatic immunity.

On Friday, October 6, the members of the Association of Diplomats in a letter to the Foreign Ministry of the Netherlands wrote that Mohammad Asif Rahimi, the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in The Hague, declared his allegiance to the Taliban regime in Kabul through a public statement.

In this letter, it has been mentioned that while the Taliban regime is not recognised by the Netherlands or any other country in the world, Rahimi's actions contradict international laws and norms.

On October 3, the Afghan embassy in the Netherlands announced that they are "engaging" with the Taliban's foreign ministry in Kabul. The statement had been confirmed by Zia Ahmad Takal, the spokesperson of the Taliban's foreign ministry.

Following the publication of the statement, sources told Afghanistan International that Asif Rahimi, the former ambassador of the Afghan government in the Netherlands, had been in contact with the Taliban for a long time in order to keep his position at the Afghan embassy.

Rahimi also told Afghanistan International in an exclusive interview that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban is responsible for covering the embassy's expenses, but they are yet to fulfil this obligation.

He further added that over the last two years, he has not received any directives, funds, or salary from Kabul.

The Dutch government has not yet reacted to the statement published by the Afghan embassy in The Hague.

Now, the members of the Association of Diplomats in a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands said that the representative of the Taliban in the Netherlands can scrutinise Afghan diaspora living in the country, under the pretext of consular services.