The neighboring countries of the crisis-ridden country that were present had one message above all for the West: their capacities to accept refugees are at their limit.
The representatives of Iran, Tajikistan and Turkey clearly articulated that their capacities were limited or already exhausted and called on the EU to provide further assistance. They expressed concern at the rising number of refugees in their countries. A virtual high-ranking official from Afghanistan also agreed: The great wave of emigration is not a question of time, it is already happening, said the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) in Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah.
“Humanitarian aid urgently needed”
The current situation is very challenging, he is “very concerned”, emphasized Abdullah, who had planned to attend the conference in person but was not allowed to leave the country by the Taliban government, as ICMPD Director Michael Spindelegger said on the sidelines of the conference mentioned to journalists. Above all, humanitarian aid for the remaining population is “urgently” needed, Abdullah appealed to the international community. Abdullah admitted, who also spoke of the Taliban’s “exaggerated expectations” of the international community.
Tajikistan’s deputy foreign minister, Sharaf Sheralizoda, described the situation in Afghanistan and the region as “extremely difficult”. His country is confronted with “huge challenges” because the capacities for refugee reception are limited and more than 15,000 refugees are currently being accommodated. Sheralizoda emphasized that stability and peace could only be ensured through an inclusive government in Kabul.
The Iranian ambassador in Vienna, Abbas Bagherpour Ardekani, also expressed concern about the “very serious” situation in Afghanistan. The number of Afghan refugees in Iran has increased massively and should be a “warning” for every other state. His country had made “more than the appropriate contribution” and it was now other countries’ turn. When asked how Iran could best be supported by western states in caring for the large number of Afghan refugees, Ardekani replied that on the one hand more financial resources and on the other hand help with border protection were necessary.
Similarly, Ahmet Muhtar Gün, Turkey’s permanent representative at the United Nations in Vienna: Turkey’s capacities for refugee reception and care are not only overstretched, they are completely exhausted, emphasized the diplomat, who recalled the around four million Syrians in Turkey . He vehemently rejected criticism previously expressed by Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) that Turkey and Belarus (Belarus) were blackmailing the EU through migration. “We don’t blackmail, we just remind our partners of their responsibility,” Gün stated.
Nehammer had described the “blackmail” by refugees as “unacceptable”. At the same time he also warned of new refugee movements from Afghanistan to Europe. Caring for the refugees in the region is important, he explained once again, referring to the already large Afghan community in Austria.
In the afternoon, a discussion with the Greek migration minister Notis Mitarachis, the Bosnian security minister Selmo Cikotić and the Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó was supposed to focus on the cooperation between countries along the route in the eastern Mediterranean area with the western Balkan states. However, the focus of the conversation between ICMPD boss Spindelegger and the ministers shifted to the question of how new flows of refugees can be prevented or contained.
In his opinion, there is currently an “even greater danger than in 2015,” said Szijjártó. The migratory pressure is now coming from all sides – be it Afghanistan and the Middle East or the sub-Saharan region. The fact that the Libyan government is now being criticized by NGOs for its handling of refugees (accommodation in controversial internment camps, note) is “crazy” and “totally stupid”, said the Hungarian Foreign Minister. He found words of praise for Egypt, which had successfully prevented the casting off of refugee boats for years.
Both Mitarachis and Cikotić reported falling refugee numbers in Greece and Bosnia-Herzegovina, respectively. A few years ago, Bosnia hosted three times more migrants than it does now, which is a positive trend, said Cikotić. The borders are now much better protected, also thanks to the EU. In terms of migration management, however, there is still a “long and common path” to be followed.
Finding “innovative ways”
The conference host, Ex-Vice Chancellor Spindelegger, emphasized in his opening speech that it was time to find “innovative ways” to stimulate regular migration and make it “more intelligent and effective”. “Let’s visualize a more ambitious, more positive future together,” he appealed. The Commissioner for Social Affairs of the African Union (AU), Amira El Fadil, pleaded in her statement that migration and migrants should be perceived as “added value” and enrichment rather than as a “burden” as previously described by Nehammer, according to El Fadil.
It is the sixth “Vienna Migration Conference” (VCM) of the Vienna-based International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). Its motto is “Rethinking migration partnerships: challenges, opportunities and strategies” and, following the corona-related, pure online format last year, this year it will take place in a hybrid form. Around 1,000 people followed the conference online, 150 took part in the Palais Niederösterreich in downtown Vienna.
The think tank ICMPD, founded in 1993 with around 460 employees, supports governments in finding viable solutions to the challenges associated with migration. The center, which is mainly financed by the EU Commission, has 19 member states – the youngest member was recently won over Greece.
