Direction Kabul. In a tense migratory context, Germany plans to open a direct dialogue channel with the Taliban authorities to more easily expel the Afghan offenders, Alexander Dobrindt, German Interior Minister, announced on Thursday. “I want us to conclude agreements directly with Afghanistan in order to allow repatriations”said the minister in an interview with the magazine Focus. So far, “Contacts with the Taliban is only made through third countries and this cannot remain a permanent solution”he added.
This announcement comes after the first expulsion, in August 2024, of a group of 28 Afghans convicted of crimes, an operation carried out via negotiations with Qatar, without direct contact with the Taliban government, which Berlin does not recognize. And a referral rare enough to be noted. If the number of arrivals in the country fell 12 % last year, from around 1.9 million to 1.7 million people, the number of departures remained almost unchanged, to 1.3 million.
Towards an increase in expulsions?
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has made the fight against immigration a major priority of his government, going so far as to order controversial repressions of asylum seekers on the border. The federal election campaign of February 23 was marked by several deadly attacks involving foreigners, which contributed to the progression of the far -right AFD party, which came to second.
Beyond Afghan nationals, Germany plans to review its policy towards the Syrians. So far, Syria has been considered an overly dangerous country to send migrants to it, due to the lack of diplomatic relations. But the German head of government recently estimated that “Expeuls to this country are now possible”. On the other side of the border, its Austrian neighbor announced Thursday that it had expulsion of a Syrian criminal, an unprecedented case within the European Union in recent years.
