Rangin Dadfar Spanta, former Afghan national security advisor, has sharply criticised Germany’s decision to accept Taliban diplomats, warning that the move amounts to de facto recognition of the group and reduces Berlin's Afghan policy to the level of Russia’s.
Berlin recently approved the presence of two Taliban-appointed consular officers in Berlin and Bonn. German officials said the move is intended to streamline the deportation of Afghan nationals with criminal records. Last week, Germany deported 81 Afghan citizens described as criminal offenders, a process the Taliban confirmed was coordinated with them.
Spanta argued that issuing diplomatic visas, providing official identification documents, and hosting Taliban representatives in diplomatic missions equates to legitimising the group under international law. He said such engagement not only damages Germany’s credibility but also disregards core values, including women’s rights and human rights.
He urged German citizens to scrutinize their government’s actions, accusing Berlin of betraying the Afghan people, particularly women, who have lost basic rights under Taliban rule. Spanta also criticised Germany’s role during the fall of Kabul in August 2021, saying German nationals were left behind and only evacuated with assistance from British forces.
German Member of the European Parliament Hannah Neumann also condemned the move. In a social media post, she claimed the Christian Democratic Union backed engagement with the Taliban to enable deportations, while thousands of Afghan asylum seekers with valid documentation remain stranded in Pakistan. She described the arrangement as a “disgraceful deal” and said Germany’s migration policy has become irrational and harmful.
Previously, Germany had coordinated deportations through Qatar and other third countries. However, recent statements from German officials suggest a shift toward direct engagement with the Taliban, reportedly in exchange for the group’s cooperation on deportation logistics and control over Afghan diplomatic missions in Germany.
