EU trying to shut its borders to Afghan refugees & instead direct them to poor ex-Soviet states in Central Asia, Russia claims

European Union member states are trying to shut their borders to Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban and instead want to send them to countries bordering Afghanistan, Russia’s Permanent Representative at the EU said on Wednesday.

Speaking to TV channel Russia 24, Vladimir Chizhov explained that the EU is trying to shield its territory from a wave of migrants.

“Today, we see an attempt by the European Union … to solve two problems,” he said, according to news agency TASS. “On the one hand, to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan ... and, on the other hand, to protect its own territory from a massive influx of refugees.”

“Here, as you understand, there is a problem, including for us, because the countries neighboring Afghanistan are, among others, Central Asian countries, our allies and partners,” Chizhov added.

The EU is facing a possible migrant crisis following the Taliban’s war victory. On August 15, the terrorist organization announced that it had assumed control of Afghanistan, declaring that it had taken over the entire nation, including its major cities and border checkpoints. Since then, thousands of Afghans have fled the country, with many more seeking to leave.

On Tuesday, following an emergency meeting of the EU Council, Brussels announced that it would “act jointly to prevent the recurrence of uncontrolled large-scale illegal migration movements faced in the past.”

In particular, the EU wishes to avoid a repeat of the 2015 migrant crisis, when over a million people came from countries like Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq to request asylum in the bloc.

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