Germany Rejects Islamic Emirate's Appointee as Afghan Ambassador in Berlin

Germany has announced that it does not recognize the representative introduced by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan as ambassador or chargé d'affaires for the Afghan embassy in Berlin.

Martin Giese, spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, said the embassy is run by a person who received credentials before the Taliban came to power. "Germany's position is very clear," Giese stated. "This is the basis for the work of the Afghan embassy in Berlin. Nevertheless, we will contact the current authorities based on these reports to emphasize the legal status and that it will remain the same."

Giese added that Germany has a strong interest in maintaining regular consular services, including visa and passport issuance, to ensure contact with Afghanistan, including for the possible expulsion of individuals required to leave Germany.

The Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not yet commented on the matter. A German media outlet previously reported that the Islamic Emirate appointed a diplomat to head the Afghan embassy in Berlin without informing the German government.

Former Afghan diplomat Aziz Maraj noted that host countries have the right to prevent the entry of unrecognized diplomatic leadership and that coordination is necessary for such changes.

Separately, the Afghan consulate in the German city of Bonn has announced the resumption of its activities, and the Islamic Emirate's Foreign Ministry stated that passport printing services will soon begin there.