The five Taliban representatives are said to have applied for visas last week to discuss deportations to Afghanistan with the EU and Sweden. All five have now been granted visas and are expected to arrive in Brussels on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Belgian Foreign Ministry told Euractiv that the visas were issued following a security assessment that did not indicate the individuals posed a security risk. According to the Belgian Foreign Ministry, the visas are valid for travel to Belgium for a single day only.
Sources tell Euractiv that the talks will be held at a technical level without political representation and likely not in official EU premises.
The EU meeting with the Taliban has met strong criticism from human rights organizations and the political opposition, among others.
