Europe cannot handle refugee crisis in view of intense Afghanistan conflict

Athens/Brussels – The European Union is not ready to accommodate the new influx of refugees, as it did in 2015, warned Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi. He also suggested that the European Union needs to provide more assistance to Turkey to prevent an influx from Afghanistan. Despite warnings from Greek ministers, leading countries like Germany and the Netherlands have announced plans to ban the expulsion of Afghan refugees.

The Taliban’s dominance in Afghanistan is growing. Moreover, more than 50 per cent of the country is under Taliban control. Against this backdrop, large numbers of Afghans are fleeing the country. Given the background to previous conflicts, Afghan nationals are also likely to enter European countries. Against this backdrop, the Greek minister has warned that Europe will not cope with the new influx of refugees and the resulting crisis.

Last month, the Afghan government called on European countries to suspend the deportation of Afghan refugees for a few months. The Afghan government forwarded the reason- the situation is not under control because of the increasing Taliban attacks and Coronavirus pandemic. Some EU countries have also called for the repatriation of Afghan refugees. Greece has also signed the letter.

In 2015 and after that, Germany announced an open-door policy for refugees from the Middle East and Asia. Taking advantage of this, more than one million refugees had infiltrated the European Union. It has adversely affected European culture and values, and Europe’s security is threatened. Greece has not yet recovered from the crisis, said the Greek minister.

Before Greece, Austria has also taken an aggressive stance on the issue of refugees. Austrian Foreign Minister called on the European Union to take action against countries such as Afghanistan that use refugees as weapons.