'Turkey cannot take burden of more migrants from Afghanistan'
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (right) with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Antalya, Turkey, Aug. 29, 2021. (AA Photo)


Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu noted that Turkey has sufficiently fulfilled its humanitarian and ethical duties regarding migration and cannot take the burden of an additional migrant wave from Afghanistan.

Çavuşoğlu spoke in a joint news conference with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in Turkey's southern Antalya province.

He noted that ensuring the security of Kabul airport was an extremely important issue and that they were carefully considering options in this regard.

Meanwhile, Maas highlighted that Germany aims to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan to prevent another wave of migrants.

The evacuations played a particularly important topic in their talks, as the Turkish government is negotiating with the Taliban on its operations after the U.S. forces withdraw.

Germany has also offered to give financial and technical assistance in rebuilding the badly damaged airport after the U.S. withdraws.

A proposal by France to create a secure U.N. zone in Kabul to enable the continued evacuation of citizens and local staff was backed by Maas, while Çavuşoğlu expressed scepticism.

"This proposal actually sounds good. But is it easy or possible to implement? We have to look at that," he said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned last week that "Turkey has no duty, responsibility or obligation to be Europe’s refugee warehouse."

Erdoğan also highlighted the importance of international cooperation to prevent a new migration wave from Afghanistan as he discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan, including the migrant crisis, with several world leaders.

Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum-seekers attempting to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

Ankara has made it clear that it will not bear the burden of migration crises experienced as a result of the decisions of third countries.

Turkey hosts more refugees than any country in the world. After the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, Turkey adopted an "open-door policy" for people fleeing the conflict, granting them "temporary protection" status.

Afghans are believed to be the second-largest refugee community in Turkey after Syrians. Many of the migrants arriving via Iran are heading for Istanbul to find work or passage to another coastal city from which to embark for Europe.