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Taliban FM calls for gradual repatriation of Afghans from Iran
Taliban’s caretaker foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, on Sunday called for gradual repatriation of Afghan nationals from Iran which has begun a plan to deport undocumented Afghans since June.
He made the remarks during a phone conversation with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The Afghan official expressed concern about the process of return of Afghan nationals, urging that their dignity should be respected.
Last week, Malek Hosseini, who leads employment affairs at Iran’s Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, said nearly 700,000 Afghan refugees have left Iran as part of the program.
Iran’s foreign minister, for his past, highlighted Iran’s efforts to pave the way for the gradual deportation of Afghan refugees in a respectful manner by observing their rights.
During a meeting with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi in Tehran on Tuesday, Araghchi said that Tehran is determined to repatriate Afghan volunteer refugees and illegal migrants to Afghanistan.
Iran’s top diplomat highlighted Iran’s five decades of hosting Afghan refugees and underscored the Iranian government's commitment to facilitate their voluntary return and providing a dignified repatriation process for those residing without valid documents.
Araghchi also called on the international community to fulfill its responsibilities and provide the required assistance in this matter.
The top Iranian diplomat also put a premium on cooperation between Afghanistan and the United Nations to expedite the process of repatriating illegal nationals and to create employment and living opportunities for Afghan citizens in their own country.