Taliban takeover of Afghanistan should serve as 'wake-up call for EU' - Roberta Metsola

European Parliament first vice president Roberta Metsola says that the dramatic withdrawal of US and NATO troops would signal a generational shift in global geo-politics – especially for Afghan women, to whom the West had promised a future

Roberta Metsola, first vice president of the European Parliament
Roberta Metsola, first vice president of the European Parliament

Europe must realise that the weight of the world’s democratic and security order rests more heavily on its shoulders, the European Parliament’s first vice president Roberta Metsola said on Tuesday, following the United States and NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

On Sunday, Taliban fighters took Kabul after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country to Uzbekistan, and hundreds of foreigners and Afghan citizens rushed to the airport to flee the country.

In a post on Facebook, the Maltese MEP said that the worsening situation in Afghanistan had changed everything.

“The first issues we are likely to face are a looming humanitarian crisis and increased security threats,” she said. “Both of which we cannot ignore.”

She said that the pictures and videos of people trying anything to flee Kabul were heart-shattering and must serve as one more eye-opener of why Europe needs a coherent, joint, response to the cross-border movement of people that will inevitably occur. 

Thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport in Kabul in a bid to flee the Taliban
Thousands of Afghans rushed to the airport in Kabul in a bid to flee the Taliban

“At the same time the concern that Afghanistan again descends into a safe haven for terrorists, fundamentalists and extremists, remains very real.”

Metsola said that the dramatic withdrawal of US and NATO troops – and the subsequent chaos and terror on the streets – would signal a generational shift in global geo-politics. Especially for Afghan women, to whom the West had promised a future.

“My fear is that if the world feels that it can no longer look with the same level of certainty and confidence to the US or NATO to provide comfort and enforce restraint, we will see emboldened moves from hostile or unfriendly actors,” she said.

Europe must therefore realise that the weight of the world democratic and security order now rests more heavily on shoulders.

“It is a wake-up call that we have snoozed too many times,” Metsola said. “Cooperation on these issues between Member States must deepen.”

She said that Europe must be a louder voice for a global order based on multilateralism and joint-action, at a time when the world is witnessing increased cynical unilateralism and more populist isolationism.

“To do that we need to be bold, courageous and re-imagine our levels of current cooperation,” Metsola said. “And we need to put our money where our mouth is. We should not wait any longer.”

‘The world failed the Afghan people’- Cyrus Engerer

Metsola’s words were echoed by Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer, who said the world had failed the Afghan people and that the work done in the last 20 years had been lost “in the blink of an eye”.

Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer
Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer

Reacting to the Taliban take over in Afghanistan, Engerer said the the scenes at Kabul airport were horrific and showed the fears the locals have for the future.

“The dreams of young people have now become foggy. Girls who have worked hard and struggled to be educated today begin to live in a world they do not know, a world they were not born into,” the MEP said. 

Engerer said he welcomed the news that the Political & Security Committee of the Council of the European Union would be convening an emergency meeting to discuss the developments. 

However, the MEP said there must be joint collaboration between the EU, the US, the UK and other countries. 

“The free life of the Afghans cannot be lost,” Engerer concluded.

 

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This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.

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