KABUL (Pajhwok): The European Commission says it plans to invite officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) in the near future to Brussels for talks on the return of Afghan migrants.
A letter is expected to be sent “imminently” to Kabul to arrange a date for the meeting in the Belgian capital, Agence France-Presse reported, quoting sources close to the matter.
It said the visit, coordinated with Sweden, would follow two previous trips by European officials to Afghanistan on the same issue.
A spokesperson for the EU executive said officials are now “working on a potential follow-up meeting at technical level in Brussels with the de facto authorities in Afghanistan.”
As part of a broader tightening of immigration policies, around 20 EU countries are exploring ways to return migrants—particularly those with criminal convictions—to Afghanistan.
In an October letter, several member states urged the EU to find diplomatic and practical ways to move the issue forward.
Since 2023, more than five million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan, often forcibly.
According to international organisations, many of them are living in extreme hardship, without stable housing or access to basic services.
IEA has so far not commented on the matter.
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