ATHENS — Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias stressed that the international community needs to be vigilant in the face of the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, during a meeting held on Tuesday to discuss the situation in that country, with the participation of European and neighbouring states.

According to diplomatic sources, Dendias placed emphasis on the protection of human rights, especially the rights relating to the protection of women and girls. For this reason, he argued that these rights should be the chief focus of the international community, which should make a concerted and effective effort to ensure their protection. In addition, he stressed that special emphasis should be placed on the protection of journalists and respect for freedom of expression.

The second part of the foreign minister's intervention covered the wider geopolitical implications of the crisis in Afghanistan, which are related to global security and stability. Therefore, Dendias argued that EU cooperation with Afghanistan's neighbours should be improved in order to avoid the scenario of a recurrence of mass migration flows, adding that there should be no new instrumentalisation of the migration issue from third countries in order to promote their political agenda.