(AP) European Union justice and home affairs ministers pledged Tuesday to support Afghanistan’s neighbors to help them host people fleeing the new Taliban regime and prevent a new wave of migrants heading to Europe.
In a closing statement following a meeting in Brussels, the ministers said the EU and its 27 nations “stand determined to act jointly to prevent the recurrence of uncontrolled large-scale illegal migration movements faced in the past, by preparing a coordinated and orderly response.”
European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said there has not been a big exodus of Afghans out of the war-torn country so far but insisted there is a huge risk of a humanitarian crisis “if the Taliban turns out to be the same Taliban that we have seen in the past.”
Johansson added that the EU is “quite far from recognizing the Taliban regime.”
