France has "no intention" of recognising the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan despite talks on returning Afghan irregular migrants, the French foreign ministry said Thursday.
"France does not recognise the Taliban and has no intention of doing so. This technical dialogue in no way implies recognition of the regime," ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said.
There is "no Taliban delegation today at the Afghan consulate" in Paris, he added, after a report in the French press to the contrary.
AFP first reported in early October that, according to a French diplomatic source, France had begun talks with the Taliban government to "facilitate" the deportation of Afghans.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed this on Monday.
France does not formally recognise, or maintain diplomatic relations with, the Taliban government formed after the armed group took power in 2021.
But it has joined about 20 EU countries including Germany, Belgium and Sweden to speed up the return of Afghans, specifically those who have been convicted by courts.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Afghanistan's Supreme Taliban Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the head of Afghanistan's supreme court and two education ministers on accusations they committed crimes against humanity through restrictions on women and girls.
A meeting in Brussels in June between a Taliban delegation and officials from 15 EU countries was condemned by several rights groups and leftwing European Parliament lawmakers. The talks focused on cracking down on irregular migration and on boosting deportations.
UN rights chief Volker Turk in September decried a "deafening" international silence over Afghanistan's deepening rights and humanitarian crisis, and demanded a halt to forced returns to the country.
The Taliban authorities have imposed a ban on girls aged over 12 continuing their education and barring women from higher education.
