Babiš: Czech Republic will not be negotiating with Taliban

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said in a Wednesday interview with the daily Mladá Fronta DNES that the Czech Republic will not be negotiating with the Taliban. He said that relations with Taliban-led Afghanistan are more importantly a question for the European Council or NATO. Mr Babis further told the paper that he believes only time will tell whether the Taliban can be trusted.

Last week, Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek told the Czech News Agency that the Czech Republic will have to accept the new situation in Afghanistan and look for closer cooperation with countries that are in contact with the Taliban.

The Czech Republic’s armed forces were active in Afghanistan from 2002, as part of the NATO mission in the country. Czechia evacuated its embassy and associated military forces and staff from the country last week.