The government of Iran is firm to deport all Afghans living illegally in the Islamic Republic, advisor to Iran's Interior Ministry and Director General of the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign Migrants said here Monday.
"We continue to support those Afghans living legally in Iran but action would be taken against those living illegally," Seyyed Taghi Ghaemi said at a joint press conference attended by Afghan and UNHCR officials in Kabul.
He said that out of 2.5 million Afghans living in Iran 1.5 million are illegal refuges and have been living there illegally.
"Entering a country illegally and staying there illegally is a crime in any country in the Untied States, in Afghanistan and everywhere," he stressed.
He made these remarks after two days tripartite meeting among Afghanistan, Iran and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) concluded in Kabul Monday.
However, the Iranian official did not say when Tehran would begin deporting illegal refugees, adding whenever Afghan government is ready to receive the refugees expulsion would commence.
Commenting on the subject, Abdul Qadir Ahadi, the deputy to Afghan Refugees Affairs Ministry, admitted that expulsion of 1.5 million refugees at this juncture would add to the problems of the war-torn nation.
The next round of talks among the three sides would be held in Tehran.
Source:Xinhua
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