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Iran issues more than 400,000 visas for Afghans in last 11 months
The Iranian consulate in Herat province says over 400,000 visas have been issued to Afghan citizens in the last year, out of which 200,000 were for Herat residents.
“Over the past eleven months, we have issued 200,000 visas at Herat representative office alone, and the same amount has been issued in our other four agencies; we have issued approximately 400,000 or 450,000 visas to Afghan citizens this year,” said Mohammad Sediq Far, Consul General of Iran for Herat.
According to reports, hundreds of Afghans travel to Iran legally on a daily basis, and their reason for leaving the country is reported unemployment in the country.
“We ask the Islamic Emirate to provide job opportunities for the people so that they don’t have to travel to other countries,” said Mohammad Arif, a Baghlan resident.
Herat officials meanwhile say efforts are ongoing to provide job opportunities for the residents.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is trying to provide employment opportunities for the youth,” said Naimulhaq Haqqani, head of information and culture in Herat.
According to the statistics of the Iranian consulate in Herat, more than five million Afghan immigrants are currently living in Iran.
In addition, more than 1,000 Afghan immigrants return to the country through Islam Qala border every day.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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