Zalmai Rassoul, the former Afghan government ambassador to the United Kingdom, said that the Afghan embassy in London will be closed on September 27.
Rassoul wrote on X that this decision was made following an official request from Britain.
The former Afghan government ambassador to the United Kingdom said: “The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in London is scheduled to officially close and will cease its operations on September 27, 2024, at the official request of the host country. This decision has been made based on the requirements of the host country’s authorities.”
Following the release of this news, an assistant to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the closing of Afghanistan’s embassies in Europe as a step toward bringing European countries closer to the caretaker government of Afghanistan.
Seyed Rasoul Mousavi, Iran’s assistant to the Foreign Minister, said: “The closure of Afghanistan’s embassies in Europe is a step towards bringing European capitals closer to Kabul! It seems contradictory, but this is the path that Europe has started. Today, the embassies are removed from the control of the Taliban’s opponents; after a while, they will reopen as consular service offices in coordination with Kabul.”
Two days ago, Deutsche Welle also reported that the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed the invalidity of consular services in the cities of Berlin and Bonn, adding that from now on, consular services for Afghan citizens will be provided through the consulate in Munich, which is in contact with the Islamic Emirate.
Najib Rahman Shamal, an expert on international relations, said about the closure of the embassy: “The closure of Afghanistan’s embassy in Britain could increase problems for Afghan migrants in the United Kingdom. I hope that both the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international authorities, including the United Nations, will find ways to resolve this issue.”
“The closing of Afghanistan’s embassies in Europe, such as in the UK and other countries, suggests that there is an understanding between the Taliban and these countries to close the embassies initially, and later, under the guise of opening consular offices, to hand them over to the Taliban, with a Taliban representative coming to establish a way for the international community to interact with the Taliban and establish contact,” said Aziz Maaraj, a former diplomat.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate had declared the consular services of political representations in London, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Greece, France, Poland, Canada, Australia, and the cities of Bonn and Berlin in Germany invalid due to a lack of engagement with the caretaker government.