A delegation from the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, led by Mawlavi Saeed Ahmad Banuri, head of the ministry’s Office of the Minister, met with representatives of Afghan migrants residing in Ankara, Türkiye, to discuss their concerns and challenges.
According to the ministry’s media office, Sheikh Saniullah Farhamand, ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to Türkiye, also attended the meeting.
Banuri explained that the delegation had been dispatched on the instructions of the Islamic Emirate’s leadership following reports received from Türkiye. He said the delegation was tasked with hearing migrants’ complaints firsthand and conveying their concerns to the relevant Turkish authorities. Issues that could be resolved within Afghanistan would also be referred to the appropriate institutions of the Islamic Emirate.
Three representatives of Afghan migrants outlined several challenges, including high fees for renewing residence permits, difficulties obtaining visas for sick migrants, problems in migrant camps, the detention of some Afghans despite holding valid residence permits, difficulties obtaining civil documents, healthcare-related concerns, and high airfares charged by airlines.
The representatives called for the reopening of the Office of the Attaché for Migrant Affairs in Türkiye to help address these issues more effectively.
Speaking at the meeting, Ambassador Farhamand acknowledged some of the concerns and said the embassy was making efforts to resolve them within its capacity.
Banuri assured the representatives that the delegation would document all the issues raised and convey them to the relevant authorities in both Türkiye and Afghanistan in an effort to find solutions.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Mawlavi Mohammad Saber Omar, deputy head of the Consular Affairs Department for Migrants at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also addressed the gathering and assured the representatives that efforts would be made to resolve problems related to obtaining civil documents.
