Status: 08/16/2021 1:43 p.m.
After the change of power in Afghanistan, Chancellor Merkel expects the number of refugees to rise. CDU top politicians are calling for Afghanistan’s neighboring countries to be supported in accepting migrants.
Chancellor Angela Merkel expects a growing number of refugees after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. “Many people will try to leave the country,” said Merkel, according to the AFP news agency, at the meeting of the CDU party committees in Berlin. The German government will work closely with the neighboring countries of Afghanistan: “We should do everything we can to help the countries to support the refugees,” Merkel is quoted as saying. “The subject will keep us busy for a very long time.”
People will “get moving”
The Chancellor was therefore shocked by the situation in Afghanistan. “For the many who have built progress and freedom – especially women – these are bitter events,” Merkel was quoted as saying to AFP.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior is also preparing for an increasing number of refugees from Afghanistan. “We must certainly assume that the local people will move and that the situation on the ground will lead to migration,” said a ministry spokeswoman. She did not give details on the expected number of refugees.
Laschet: Support neighboring countries
At the same time, Union politicians warned of the consequences of a high number of refugees from the Asian country. CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak told the RTL and n-tv broadcasting group: “We will not be able to solve the Afghanistan issue by migrating to Germany.” With a view to the influx of numerous refugees from Syria six years ago, Ziemiak said: “It is also clear to us that 2015 must not be repeated.”
CDU leader Armin Laschet called for the refugees in the region around Afghanistan to be looked after. The EU must “work to ensure that aid has priority there,” Laschet wrote on Twitter. “Most people will flee to neighboring countries.” The international community must therefore “support the neighboring countries and help to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe”.
Mediterranean neighbors appeal to the EU
Five southern EU states are also warning of a sharp rise in the number of refugees. The EU must therefore urgently discuss “possible effects on migration in the countries of first reception and in the European Union”. This is what Greece, Italy, Spain, Malta and Cyprus are calling for, and they have taken in most of the migrants – including from Afghanistan – in recent years. Since then, the redistribution in the EU has repeatedly caused controversy.
Greek media reported that the government in Athens had already taken initial measures in the face of a possible influx of migrants from Afghanistan. High-ranking military wanted to have the construction of fences in shallow places on the Greek-Turkish border river Evros examined, reported the news channel Real FM.
EU foreign ministers advise
In view of the latest developments, the foreign ministers of the EU countries will meet for an extraordinary video conference on Tuesday afternoon. This was announced by the EU Foreign Affairs Representative, Josep Borrell. The ministers should therefore make an initial assessment of the situation. “Afghanistan is at a crossroads,” Borrell wrote. The security and well-being of Afghans, as well as international security, are at stake.