Brussels: Belgium has granted single-day visas to five members of a Taliban delegation invited by the European Commission to attend talks in Brussels on the return of Afghan asylum-seekers, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced on Monday. The delegation is set to engage in discussions regarding migration and repatriation issues concerning Afghan nationals residing in Europe, as reported by Belgian public broadcaster VRT.

According to Anadolu Agency, Prevot expressed his opposition last week to the European Commission’s decision to invite the Taliban. However, he acknowledged that as the host country of European Union institutions, Belgium is unable to block invitations extended by the EU. “As the host country of institutions such as the European Union, Belgium cannot refuse invitations from those institutions to representatives of regimes that it does not itself recognize,” Prevot stated.

The foreign minister noted that Belgium’s State Security Service and military intelligence agency, ADIV, carried out security assessments and found no evidence suggesting that the visitors present a threat in Belgium. The visas issued are valid only within Belgium and not across the broader Schengen area, and they are limited to a single day, as stated by authorities.

For security reasons, Belgian officials have chosen not to disclose the specific date of the delegation’s visit.