Several European countries are working to open a joint diplomatic mission in Afghanistan to allow their ambassadors to return to the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said during a tour of the Gulf countries, quoted by Reuters.
Western countries are still working on how to contact the Taliban, which captured Afghanistan in a lightning strike in August as US-led forces completed their withdrawal.
The United States and other Western countries closed their embassies and withdrew their diplomats when the Taliban seized Kabul, after which extremists announced a caretaker government whose senior members are under US and UN sanctions.
"We are thinking of an organization between several European countries ... a common place for several Europeans, which would allow our ambassadors to be present," Macron told reporters in Doha before heading to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
The United States, European countries and others are reluctant to formally recognize the Pashto-dominated Taliban movement, accusing them of abandoning promises of political and ethnic inclusion and protecting the rights of women and minorities.
"This is a different démarche from political recognition or political dialogue with the Taliban ... we will have a mission as soon as we can open it," he said, adding that security issues still needed to be resolved.
In a statement following talks with the Taliban a week ago, the European Union proposed launching a mission soon.
"The EU delegation emphasized that the possibility of establishing a minimum presence on the ground in Kabul, which will not lead to recognition, will depend directly on the security situation, as well as on effective decisions by the de facto authorities to enable the EU to ensure adequate protection of its staff and premises, "the statement said.
France separately announced on Friday that it had carried out an evacuation mission to Afghanistan with the help of Qatar, taking more than 300 people, mostly Afghans, out of the country.
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