Europe worries about the `ghost` of a refugee crisis when the Afghan government collapses 0
(Dan Tri) – European leaders have called for the development of a plan to deal with the flow of refugees from Afghanistan, in which experts say Türkiye is an important factor.
People wait for evacuation at Hamid Karzai airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 19 (Photo: Reuters).
The situation has become chaotic in Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of most of the country and the flight of President Ashraf Ghani following the withdrawal of US and allied troops.
The chaotic scene on August 16 reached its climax when images of Afghan people trying to cling to the undercarriage of a US military plane during takeoff, in a desperate attempt to escape the Taliban.
With military conflicts in some areas of the country and now regime change, the EU’s two largest economies, France and Germany, have raised the worrying prospect: an influx of refugees.
`We must anticipate and protect ourselves against unusually large-scale flows of migrants,` French President Emmanuel Macron said at a meeting on August 16, pledging to work towards a `response`.
Germany also has a similar move.
The EU faced a large-scale refugee crisis in 2015 and 2016, due to the conflict in Syria.
Germany ranks first among countries accepting a record number of refugees.
France will hold an election in April 2022.
The scenario in 2015 may repeat
EU officials are very concerned about the risk of a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis. Many people died trying to cross the dangerous sea and this crisis has divided EU countries.
A group of EU countries is ready to receive and integrate refugees trying to escape war.
Carsten Nickel, deputy research director at consulting company Teneo, said that this scenario is at risk of repeating when the Afghan government collapses.
However, Mr Nickel believes there could be a solution among a small group of EU countries, rather than the entire 27 countries.
Southern European countries such as Greece, Italy, Spain, Malta and Cyprus are said to have asked to discuss the implications of developments in Afghanistan at an EU-level meeting on August 18.
Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said on August 17 that his country `will not and cannot` become a gateway for migrants and refugees trying to reach the EU, and called for a solution.
One of the most important elements of the EU’s solution to the 2015 refugee crisis was the signing of a 6 billion euro deal for Turkey to then provide shelter,
Shamaila Khan, director of emerging market debt strategies at investment fund AllianceBernstein, told CNBC that Türkiye will likely continue to play a similar role.
However, many experts warn that this will be a big challenge because Ankara does not seem to be fully prepared to do so.
Türkiye, home to the world’s largest refugee population of 4 million, is also witnessing sharp divisions over immigration.
