Germany Seeks Direct Agreement with Taliban for Deportation of Afghan Refugees
Germany’s Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has said that the country needs a direct agreement with the Taliban to facilitate the deportation of Afghan refugees from German territory.
In an exclusive interview with Focus magazine, published online on the evening of July 2, Dobrindt stated that Germany still relies on third parties to communicate with authorities in Afghanistan, but this cannot serve as a long-term solution. He emphasized the need for a more direct and permanent arrangement to manage the return of Afghan nationals whose asylum claims have been rejected.
This comes after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that individuals living illegally in Germany, especially those with criminal records, would be deported to countries including Syria and Afghanistan. The chancellor also stated that refugee resettlement programs for former Afghan employees of German institutions would be halted, and the process of family reunification would be temporarily suspended.
These steps form part of the broader immigration policy being implemented by the ruling conservative coalition, which is seeking stricter measures on asylum and border control.
The Interior Ministry also revealed that Germany is in communication with Syria’s new government, led by Ahmad Shar’a, to arrange the repatriation of Syrian nationals currently residing in Germany without legal status.
According to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, Syrians and Afghans make up the two largest groups of asylum seekers in Germany. In 2024 alone, 76,765 Syrians and 34,149 Afghans submitted asylum applications.
