France, Oct. 20 -- The European Union confirmed on Monday it has initiated exploratory contacts with the Taliban government in Afghanistan as part of efforts to increase the number of deportations of failed asylum seekers from Europe.

The admissioncomes after a majority of EU nations urged Brussels to reach out to the administration in Kabul.

Markus Lammert, a spokesman for the EU's executive, told journalists in Brussels that the European Commission was working to ensure coordination among member states.

"Earlier this year, we initiated exploratory contacts at technical level with the de-facto authorities in Afghanistan," he said.

The Taliban have been largely isolated on the global stage since they imposed a strict version of Islami...