Afghanistan’s Embassy in UK officially shuts down
The Afghanistan embassy in London closed on Friday, according to AFP.
Earlier this month, Zalmai Rassoul, the ambassador of the former Afghan government in London, said that the embassy would close “at the official request of the host country” on September 27.
However, the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) denied responsibility for the closure.
“The UK government did not make this decision,” a spokesperson said. “The State of Afghanistan decided to close the Afghan Embassy in London and dismiss its staff.”
The Taliban, after months of pressuring the Afghanistan Embassy in London to cooperate with their Foreign Ministry, had previously declared that the consular services of the embassy were no longer valid.
It appears that the Taliban’s actions influenced the British government’s decision to close the embassy.
The British Foreign Office has given the embassy staff 90 days to leave or remain in the UK.
The British Foreign Office also stated that the embassy’s affairs would not be handed over to Taliban representatives and that the embassy would remain closed for now.
The UK is one of the European countries with a large Afghan immigrant population. The embassy closure complicates consular services for these migrants, such as obtaining power of attorney documents for property division.
The Taliban has urged Afghans residing in the UK to seek consular services from embassies in Europe that cooperate with them.
Zalmay Rasoul, the former Afghan government’s ambassador to the UK, told The Sunday Times, “It’s hard to attend official invitations. What can you say when you don’t have a government or a country?”
Rasoul had resisted Taliban threats and temptations for the past three years and did not comply with requests from their Foreign Ministry.
Hanif Atmar, the former Afghan Foreign Minister, warned that shutting down the country’s diplomatic missions is a historical mistake and will have severe political consequences. He emphasized that the closure of these missions would create significant legal problems for millions of Afghans.
The closure of the Afghan Embassy in London marks a significant diplomatic and political setback, particularly for Afghan migrants who now face increased challenges in accessing consular services. The broader implications of this decision could affect Afghan citizens worldwide, highlighting the ongoing complexities in Afghanistan’s foreign relations under Taliban rule.
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