Turkey: Irregular migration is nothing new, says Afghan envoy amidst refugee influx

Irregular migration is not a new phenomenon, said Afghanistan’s newly-appointed ambassador to Ankara, Amir Mohammad Ramin on Thursday, adding that they are working with Turkish authorities over the issue. While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had made it clear that his country wasn’t a “roadside inn” for the fleeing population, it is to mention that the country hosts around 4 million refugees and the number is expected to surge with the Taliban making sweeping advances in Afghanistan.  

"We see criticism in the media. We completely understand this. However, irregular migration is nothing new. We are in close contact with the Turkish authorities, asking local authorities to identify illegal arrivals so that we can send them back," Ramin said regarding the migration issue.

Reasons behind refugee influx

Furthermore, Ramin specified the reasons behind the influx. The first reason, he said, was economic. Turkey is more prosperous than Iran and Pakistan and therefore could provide more jobs to the youth. Secondly, he stated that with the Taliban’s takeover and the escalating violence in Afghanistan, families want the young ones to leave the country, this, in turn, has increased migration.

In addendum to the migration crisis, the top Afghan diplomat also talked about Ankara’s ongoing mission to protect Kabul’s international airport. Asserting that it is not a military mission, Ramin said that the deployment of Turkish troops was only to safeguard stability in the region. “The idea of ​​the continuation of Turkey's important mission in Afghanistan is to maintain and strengthen peace and stability in the war-torn country," he said.

This comes as a top Pakistani official said that his country was not in a position to handle more refugees. Moeed Yusuf, Pakistan’s National Security Advisor, recently appeared in an interview wherein he reckoned that Islamabad was willing but not capable of housing more asylum seekers from the war-torn country. His statement came days after the country's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed a similar concern highlighting that the influx would not only affect Pakistan but also Iran.

With the pullout of US and  North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) troops nearing its completion, the Taliban has captured more than 85 percent of the central Asian country. Afghan residents, who are already reeling with poverty, inflation, and lawlessness, fear the Taliban’s return could lead to dire consequences. This has triggered a mass exodus of residents, particularly to the bordering country of Pakistan and Iran.

(Image: AP/Anadolu Agency/Twitter)