Quadrilateral meeting over Afghan refugees to be held next month in Kabul
Apr 14, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], April 14 : A quadrilateral meeting with officials from Kabul, Tehran, Islamabad and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will be held next month in a bid to address the hardships faced by the Afghan refugees, said the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, according to TOLOnews.
The meeting will be followed by a trilateral meeting including Afghanistan, Iran, and the UNHCR.
The meetings come against the backdrop of Afghans in several provinces holding protests amid the reports of mistreatment of Afghan refugees in Iran.
"The aim of the meeting is to address the problems of the Afghan refugees in the neighbouring countries and to reach a procedure for the Afghans who are living there without any registration," TOLOnews quoted the spokesperson for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.
On Monday, Kabul residents protested in front of Iran's embassy over the reports of abuse against Afghan refugees in Iran, local media reported.
The protesters demanded that the Iran government should stop the forced deportations of Afghan refugees. The protesters have also expressed outrage over the videos that allegedly "show harm being done to Afghan refugees in Iran".
According to Afghan-based media, the broadcast of videos of the persecution of Afghan refugees living in Iran on social media has caused widespread concern and dissatisfaction among the people.
However, the Iran embassy in Kabul claims that the distribution of such videos is the work of those who are "systematically attempting to sever ties between the people of the two countries".
Meanwhile, Iran has asked the Taliban regime in Afghnaistan to ensure the security of its diplomatic assets in Kabul amid rising protests by the people against deportations of Afghan refugees.
In reaction to the protests, the spokesperson of Iran's Foreign Ministry Saeed khatibzada said, this is the responsibility of the Afghan government to ensure the security of Iran's diplomatic agencies in the country.
