France is holding technical discussions with Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan authorities to facilitate the return of Afghan nationals living in the country without legal immigration status, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has confirmed.

Speaking before the French parliament on Monday, Nunez said Paris was seeking arrangements to return a number of Afghans who are in an irregular immigration situation.

“We are trying to obtain the possibility to return a certain number of Afghans who are in an irregular situation. These are technical discussions,” Nunez told lawmakers, adding that other European countries, including Germany, were pursuing similar arrangements.

The French minister said some Afghan nationals could pose threats to public order and described their deportation as a priority for the government.

According to AFP, France had already begun discussions with IEA authorities in early October to facilitate the deportation of Afghan nationals.

Although France does not officially recognise the Islamic Emirate administration or maintain diplomatic relations with it, Paris has joined around 20 European Union countries, including Germany, Belgium and Sweden, in efforts to accelerate the return of Afghan nationals, particularly those convicted of criminal offences.

However, the discussions have drawn criticism from some French lawmakers and human rights groups.

Lea Balage El Mariky, a lawmaker from the Ecologists party, accused the French government of moving towards normalising relations with an IEA she criticised over restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, a meeting held in Brussels in June between a IEA delegation and representatives from 15 EU countries also faced criticism from human rights organisations and left-wing European lawmakers. The discussions focused on irregular migration and increasing deportations.

In September, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed concern over what he described as international silence surrounding Afghanistan’s worsening human rights and humanitarian situation, calling for an end to forced returns.