Afghanistan’s embassy in London will close on September 27, Ambassador Zalmai Rassoul confirmed on Monday.
“This decision has been made based on the requirements of the host country’s authorities,” he said on X.
The closure comes amid ongoing tensions over the control of Afghan embassies in Western countries.
Previously, three senior diplomatic sources confirmed that the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent letters to 13 countries, including several in Europe, Canada, and Australia, declaring the consular services of embassies run by diplomats from the former Afghan government to be invalid without Taliban involvement.
Experts say the lack of an internationally recognized government in Afghanistan has led to significant challenges for its diplomatic missions abroad and for Afghan citizens living overseas.
“It would have been better for these missions to continue operating, but because Afghanistan currently lacks a legitimate government, there’s no legal framework or support for these embassies,” said legal expert Ghulam Farooq Aleem. “The Taliban have rendered their consular services void, and now host countries like the United States, and most recently the UK, are deciding to close them. The Afghan people are the ones suffering as a result.”
Meanwhile, a diplomatic source in Europe reported that Germany has urged the Afghan Embassy in Berlin to engage with the Taliban and resolve the issue within a few weeks. Germany is the only country to have formally responded to the Taliban’s letter.
On Saturday, a group of Afghan citizens staged a protest outside the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin, voicing opposition to any potential diplomatic engagement between Germany and the Taliban. Protesters sang protest songs and called for human rights to be prioritized in any discussions with the Taliban.
A diplomatic source noted that some countries have advised diplomats from the former Afghan government to ignore the Taliban’s correspondence.
Last month, the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that only the consular services of five Afghan embassies and consulates, including those in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic, are considered valid by the Taliban administration.
European countries are expected to hold a special meeting on September 28 to decide the fate of Afghan embassies on the continent, according to another diplomatic source.
Afghan citizens hope that any engagement with the Taliban will prioritize human rights concerns in Afghanistan.
