Afghanistan in June 2026: the most important developments in politics
In June 2026, Afghanistan's dealings with European governments over the return of Afghan migrants were the main political development. On 21 June, Germany agreed with the Taliban authorities to increase deportations to Afghanistan; Berlin had halted returns after the Taliban took power, and the agreement followed months of negotiations. On 23 June, a Taliban delegation travelled to Brussels for closed-door talks with the European Union, the first of their kind. Belgium had issued visas to the delegation the day before. The talks covered the deportation of Afghan migrants and consular access for the Taliban in European countries. Human rights groups criticised the visas and called the move "unconscionable".
On 24 June, EU Commissioner Brunner defended the talks, which were still under way in Brussels. Merz said Germany does not recognise the Taliban government, and an Austrian minister said no concessions should be made to the group.
On the regional side, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan agreed on 23 June to set up a joint centre for water resources management. Afghanistan was also excluded from the work of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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