Afghanistan crisis: Austria says migration wave toward Europe ‘must not take place'

Amid the Afghanistan crisis, Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that any migration wave from the war-torn country should be handled in neighbouring nations. Kurz on 4 September said that a potential wave toward Europe must not take place. The Austrian leader added, “this is why we are in contact with countries in the region”. 

According to AP, Kurz spoke after meeting Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic. His remarks come amid a time when thousands of migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia have been stranded in Serbia and neighbouring nations situated on the Balkan migration route toward Western Europe. It is worth mentioning that Kurz has long taken a tough approach to the migration issue.

The Austrian leader recently even said that his country won’t accept any migrants from Afghanistan because it has already taken in a “disproportionately high” number since 2015, when around one million people entered Europe from Middle East, Africa or Asia. Last month, Kurz also called for the establishment of “deportation centres” in countries near Afghanistan to accommodate people fleeing the country following the Taliban seizure. He said that the plan could serve as an alternative, other than deporting Afghans back to their homeland. 

Anti-migrant sentiment across Europe

Austria was one of the six EU member nations that had asked the European Commission to forcibly deport rejected Afghan asylum seekers. Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer also said if deportations are no longer possible because of the restrictions imposed by the European Convention on Human Rights, alternatives must be considered. “Deportation centres in the region around Afghanistan would be one possibility. That requires the strength and support of the European Commission. I will suggest it at the council of interior ministers,” Nehammer said. 

The anti-migrant sentiment is running high in Austria. Following the Taliban's violent takeover, several EU nations are also trying to avoid another large-scale influx of migrants and refugees. EU officials suggested setting up of “deportation centres” in countries neighbouring Afghanistan so that EU countries can deport Afghans who have been denied asylum even if they cannot be sent back to their homeland. Besides that, there have been few concrete offers from European countries, which besides evacuating their own citizens and Afghan collaborators, say they are focusing on helping Afghans inside their country and in neighbouring countries such as Iran and Pakistan.

(With inputs from AP)