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Ankara: Oppose US plan to temporarily relocate Afghan refugees to its territory

Ankara’s criticism has been sparked by a US plan to temporarily relocate to third countries – including Turkey – Afghans at risk of Taliban retaliation over their ties to the United States.

It is recalled that the State Department announced on Monday a new program of reception of immigrants from Afghanistan in view of the complete withdrawal of American forces from the war-torn country.

According to the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency, the program involves translators who worked with US forces, Afghans who worked on US-funded projects, and employees of non-governmental organizations or US-based news organizations. Based on this, the relocation of Afghans to third countries in the region is envisaged for about a year, ie as long as it takes to complete the visa process.

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But the Turkey, where more than four million refugees, mostly from Syria, already live, said he had never been asked. Ankara fears a new wave of migration from Afghanistan following the withdrawal of international forces.

“It is unacceptable to seek a solution to a problem in our country without its consent,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Tuesday.

The State Department cites Turkey and Pakistan as possible countries for the temporary relocation of Afghans. The Turkish ministry estimated that the American plan would cause “a great immigration crisis in our region”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has noted that Turkish officials are holding high-level talks with their Afghan counterparts on the issue.

Asked about the number of Afghans who have taken refuge in Turkey, a senior State Department official said Monday: “I do not have exact numbers for Turkey. I would say that we have not seen significant flows, but we have seen a number of people. “

The Turkish Foreign Ministry, for its part, said that if the United States wanted to protect Afghans, it could do so by “direct flights.”

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