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Updated September 15th, 2021 at 15:50 IST

Afghanistan: EU to provide extra $118 mn aid to 'avert humanitarian disaster'

EU President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the humanitarian aid to Afghanistan will be stepped up to avert the risk of a possible famine.

Reported by: Ananya Varma
Ursula Von der Leyen
Image: AP | Image:self
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In a bid to avert a 'humanitarian disaster' in Afghanistan, the European Union (EU) has decided to provide additional assistance of USD 118 million to the country. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the humanitarian aid to the war-torn nation will be stepped up to avert the risk of a possible famine. A 'new and wider Afghan support package' has been announced by the European Union for the same. 

Ursula von der Leyen's statement comes shortly after European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the commission had no option but to engage with the Taliban. "The Afghan crisis is not over. To have any chance of influencing events, we have no other option but to engage with the Taliban," Josep Borrell told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The foreign policy chief however asserted that engaging with the Taliban did not mean that the EU had recognized their government in Afghanistan. Josep Borrell asserted that engagement is a priority for the EU to continue protecting as many people as possible.

EU to step up Afghan assistance 

Previously, the European Union had announced that it would step up its financial aid to Afghanistan. As per the European Commission, the body has provided USD 67 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in 2021. Shortly after the takeover, EU spokesman Balazs Ujvari said that apart from the USD 67 million assistance, the commission had also provided money for Afghan refugees in neighbouring countries such as Uzbekistan and Iran- a collective allocation of 22 million euros.

Subsequently, von der Leyen proposed that an increase in the humanitarian support for Afghans, from the EU's budget from over 50 million euros to over 200 million euros. She also stated she would propose an increase in the USD 67 million humanitarian aid which the Commission had allocated in 2021.

It is important to mention that the EU has set certain conditions for establishing humanitarian aid and diplomatic ties with the Taliban after the terror group forcibly took control over the nation. The conditions include special respect for human rights, particularly women's rights.

(With Agency Inputs)

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Published September 15th, 2021 at 15:50 IST

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