KABUL (Pajhwok): French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñezsays his country has begun technical talks with officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to facilitate the return of Afghan migrants without legal residency documents.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Nuñez told parliament on Monday that Paris was seeking to arrange the return of some Afghans living in France without legal documents.
“We are trying to make it possible to return some Afghans who are residing illegally in France. These are technical discussions,” he said.
Referring to measures taken by other European countries, Nuñez said Germany had also taken steps in this regard.
In early October, AFP quoted a French diplomatic source as saying that Paris had begun talks with IEA officials to facilitate the deportation of Afghan migrants.
The report added that the French interior minister had now confirmed the talks while responding to questions from members of parliament.
He said some Afghan migrants could pose a threat to public order and that removing such individuals was among the government’s priorities.
Meanwhile, Léa Balage El Mariky, a Green Party representative in the French parliament, criticised the government’s move, describing it as a step towards normalising diplomatic relations with the IEA.
Earlier, in June this year, a delegation from the IEA met officials from 15 European Union member states in Brussels. The main topics of the discussions were preventing irregular migration and accelerating deportations.
