On March 20, the European Union (EU) Council said in a statement, “Afghanistan should not once again serve as a base for terrorism and violent extremism to other countries, and the EU demands that the Taliban cease all direct and indirect ties with terrorism and reiterates the Taliban’s responsibility in combatting terrorism,” reports Tolo News. Statement further said, the EU approved the conclusions that reaffirm the EU’s "principled commitment to peace and stability in Afghanistan and to supporting the people of the country." Also, the EU condemned the “large-scale and systematic gender-based discrimination by the Taliban who, through their discriminatory decision to ban women from working for national and international non-governmental organisations, are impeding the delivery of humanitarian assistance and basic needs support to the Afghan people.”