Two years of Taliban rule means two years of going back to the Stone Age for the people of Afghanistan. Millions are suffering from hunger. Almost every week, the Taliban take away another piece of the freedom enjoyed by Afghanistan’s women and girls. With their inhuman policies, the Taliban want to force them to bury their dreams and futures.

But those responsible should not think that their actions will remain without consequences. As the EU, we have put people on the sanctions list who have banned women and girls from schools, universities and parks. There will be no normal relations as long as the Taliban continues to exclude half of society from working life and social participation.

In so doing, we are not abandoning the people of Afghanistan to their fate. In the fields where we can still reach the people, we have provided more than one billion euro for protection and rapid emergency humanitarian assistance since summer 2021. By banning Afghan women from working for NGOs and organisations of the United Nations, the Taliban are cold-bloodedly jeopardising this vital lifeline for their people.

More than 30,000 people from Afghanistan persecuted by the Taliban have been able to find refuge here in Germany since August 2021. But not all the men and women who are particularly at risk can yet be certain that they will reach safety. Many are still waiting to leave the country. We will not slacken our efforts to ensure that they, too, get the chance to live in safety and freedom.