Talks Between Austria and the Taliban on Deportations to Afghanistan

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the talks were exclusively “technical-operational” and were neither diplomatically nor politically motivated. The main aim was to return Afghans who had committed crimes to their country of origin.

Afghanistan as a key country of origin

Afghanistan has been one of the main countries of origin for asylum seekers in Austria for years. Between 2015 and 2024, more than 100,000 asylum applications were submitted by Afghan citizens. In the first eleven months of 2024 alone, the Austrian authorities rejected around 1,200 of these applications. However, almost 1,000 of these people were granted subsidiary protection, which allowed them to remain in Austria. This form of protection is granted to those who are not entitled to refugee status but cannot be deported due to the security situation in their country of origin.

Nevertheless, a considerable number of people remain who could potentially be deported. However, after the radical Islamic Taliban took power in August 2021, deportations to Afghanistan were practically impossible as there were no official contacts with the regime. This changed after the Austrian Constitutional Court (VfGH) allowed deportations to Afghanistan again in individual cases in the summer of 2024. The Constitutional Court justified this by stating that the security situation under the Taliban had improved, even if independent reports are critical of this view.

Interior Minister Karner urges European initiative

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) has made the issue of repatriating Afghan citizens a central priority of his term of office. A year ago, he initiated a discussion at the European level on the resumption of deportations to Afghanistan and Syria. Several EU member states now support this approach. Karner emphasized that Austria primarily wants to send back Afghans who have committed crimes to send a clear signal to those who do not abide by the law. “We aim to enable legally compliant and orderly deportations to Afghanistan. This not only serves internal security but is also a question of fairness towards those who abide by the rules,” explained Karner.

Talks with the Taliban: a political minefield

The opening of talks with the Taliban remains controversial, as the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” reports. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the meeting in Kabul had no diplomatic dimension but served exclusively to clarify the technical aspects of repatriation options. However, experts warn that such contacts could lend international legitimacy to the Taliban regime. The Afghan government, which is not internationally recognized, had previously demanded on several occasions that Western states should establish “normal consular interactions”.

The Austrian approach differs from that of other European states. The German government, for example, rejects direct talks with the Taliban and instead relies on mediators such as Qatar. Berlin also prefers the establishment of a permanent mechanism via Afghanistan's neighboring countries, such as Uzbekistan. Norway, on the other hand, is also holding direct talks with the Taliban and has already repatriated Afghans voluntarily.

European cooperation and challenges

The Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) has worked closely with other EU member states and the EU delegation in Afghanistan to develop a uniform strategy. Austria is not alone in this. In addition to Norway, countries such as Turkey and Iran have also established mechanisms to deport Afghan citizens. Turkey carries out weekly deportation flights to Kabul, while Pakistan and Iran are deporting thousands of Afghans.

Despite these developments, it remains unclear how the Taliban deal with deportees. Observers report that returnees are generally not permanently detained or persecuted. Nevertheless, there are considerable legal and ethical concerns as to whether deportations to a country with limited rule of law and an uncertain human rights situation are responsible.

Humanitarian commitment remains important

In addition to repatriation efforts, Austria continues to focus on humanitarian aid for Afghanistan. Since 2017, the country has provided a total of 55.5 million euros for projects to support the Afghan civilian population. The focus here is on protecting women and girls and supporting UN programs.

“We have a responsibility to protect those who are particularly vulnerable. Our humanitarian projects are intended to help improve living conditions on the ground,” said a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior.

Political dynamics in Austria

The talks with the Taliban coincide with a phase of political negotiations in Austria. The ÖVP, to which Interior Minister Karner belongs, is currently holding coalition talks with the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ). Deportations are likely to be one of the central issues on which both parties largely agree. However, critics warn that the focus on deportation policy could overshadow the debate on long-term solutions in refugee policy.

Between pragmatism and controversy

The opening of talks with the Taliban shows the pragmatic approach of the Austrian government and the most powerful party in supposedly facing up to the challenges of migration policy. However, the question remains as to why the ÖVP has not taken migration and integration policy more seriously before, or why it has shifted the problems within this topic to the responsibility of other parties, even though it has held the portfolio for home affairs since 2000 with a brief interruption by the FPÖ from 2017 to 2019. At the same time, it raises ethical and political questions that go far beyond the country's borders. It remains to be seen whether Austria's efforts will actually lead to a sustainable solution.

Austrian Ministry of Interior