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Ankara said Washington’s plan to accept Afghans through a third country could lead to a new regional immigration crisis.
The Turkish government criticized the U.S. plan to use third countries such as Turkey to resettle thousands of Afghans who may be targeted by Taliban militants because of their links with Washington, saying that this move will trigger a “great immigration crisis” in the region.
A few weeks before the U.S. prepares to complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan after the 20-year war, the U.S. State Department announced a new plan on Monday under which certain categories of Afghans will have the opportunity to resettle in the United States as refugees. The program covers interpreters and translators working with the U.S. military, Afghans participating in U.S.-funded projects, and personnel employed by U.S. NGOs or media organizations.
Afghans participating in the program will have to travel to a third country on their own, where they will wait 12 to 14 months to process their application.
A senior State Department official said that Washington has been discussing potential outflows with neighboring countries, adding that it is important that Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan remain open, while others may travel to Turkey via Iran.
‘Irresponsible decision’
However, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday rejected the claim that Turkey was used as an immigration route for Afghans, adding that the country has already accommodated more than 4 million refugees and will not “undertake a new immigration crisis on behalf of a third country.”
“As Turkey, we do not accept irresponsible decisions made by the United States without consulting our country. If the United States wants to bring these people to its own country, it can directly transfer them to its own country by plane. “The ministry said in a statement.
“No one should expect the Turkish nation to bear the burden of the immigration crisis experienced by the decision of a third country in our region,” it added.
In recent weeks, as the violence in Afghanistan has escalated, hundreds of Afghans have crossed the border into Turkey, raising concerns about the new influx of refugees.
In recent years, relations between Ankara and Washington have become tense due to a series of issues, including the former’s purchase of Russian defense equipment and policy differences in the Middle East.
After the United States and NATO withdrew their troops from Afghanistan, Ankara proposed to protect and operate the Hamid Karzai International Airport in the capital Kabul. This move may create an area for cooperation between NATO allies.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish officials are holding high-level talks with their counterparts in Afghanistan on this issue.
This issue may also arise in the negotiations between Ankara and Brussels to update the 2016 agreement under which Turkey received assistance to accommodate people seeking asylum in the European Union.
Strengthen border security
At the same time, Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu said on Twitter on Wednesday that Turkey has been strengthening border security due to the expected increase in the influx of illegal immigrants.
His statement was in response to Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), who recently claimed that the government cannot control the flow of immigrants into Turkey, especially from the Turkish-Iran border.
Soilu outlined the measures taken by the government, including the construction of a 152-kilometer (94.5-mile) wall along the border, and 85-kilometer (53-mile) construction is in progress.
He said that Turkey’s 740-kilometer (460-mile) eastern border will be monitored by aerial drones (UAV), photoelectric towers, and night thermal imaging cameras on the ground.
He explained that to enhance security, an additional 500 village police and 82 armored vehicles were deployed to the border, adding that Turkey blocked the undocumented entry of more than 505,000 people in 2020 and has blocked approximately 253,000 people so far this year.
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