22/12/2022 (Agence Europe) – The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, issued a statement on Thursday 22 December with twelve other foreign ministers from around the world condemning the decision by the Taliban authorities to further curtail the freedoms of young women in Afghanistan. The governments that signed the declaration are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. They blame the Taliban for denying young women access to universities and secondary schools and restricting their basic freedoms. “With these moves, the Taliban are further isolating themselves from the Afghan population and the international community. We urge the Taliban to immediately abandon the new oppressive measures”, said the thirteen signatories. The day before, Josep Borrell also made a statement to this effect on behalf of the EU. (LM)