European Union states are determined to prevent uncontrolled migration from Afghanistan following the takeover of the country by the Taliban, a draft statement prepared for a meeting on Tuesday says.
EU governments are eager to avoid a repeat of the chaotic influx of refugees and migrants in 2015 that caught the bloc unprepared and sowed divisions among them, fuelling support for far-right parties as camps in Greece, Italy and elsewhere swelled.
The Draft statement says, “Based on lessons learned, the EU and its member states stand determined to act jointly to prevent the recurrence of uncontrolled large-scale illegal migration movements faced in the past, by preparing a coordinated and orderly response.’
The position emerged as the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR warned that up to half a million Afghans could flee their homeland by the end of the year.
Thousands of Afghans have been evacuated in a massive airlift mounted by Western forces following the Taliban’s seizure of the capital Kabul on Aug.15. But as the operation winds down, many have been left behind to an uncertain fate under the rule of the hardline Islamist group.
The UNHCR appealed for support on Monday, saying “a larger crisis is just beginning” for Afghanistan’s 39 million people.
Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, reiterated a call for borders to remain open and for more countries to share responsibility with Iran and Pakistan, which already host 2.2 million Afghans.
At Tuesday’s emergency meeting in Brussels, the EU ministers will also reiterate the bloc’s promise to give more money for Afghanistan as well as surrounding countries, although delivering aid had become more complicated since the Taliban took control, EU officials said.
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