Paris -

France and European countries in general are witnessing controversy and political division in their position as a result of the recent changes in Afghanistan, which is confirmed by contradictory statements and the accelerating movement of European Union meetings, the latest of which was the meeting of the Union's interior ministers on Wednesday, which witnessed sharp divisions over the expected waves of immigration and asylum from Afghanistan.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron's televised statements at the beginning of the week - in which he spoke of "irregular migration waves" from Afghanistan - left resentment and widespread controversy in political circles.

The French president spoke of “irregular migration waves” in his statements regarding Afghan refugees, which generated angry human rights and political reactions in France (Anadolu Agency)

mixed responses

Macron's statements were condemned by the forces of the French left, activists and human rights organizations, and Socialist Senator Laurence Rossignol described them as "shameful", while the representative of the radical leftist "France Proud" party, Adrien Catin, accused the president of "stunting France."

On Thursday, Mayor of Lille, Martin Aubry, said on France Inter radio that Macron's speech "shocked her", expressing regret for this "negative" situation.

The former minister explained that she expects Europe to do a lot to preserve the safety of Afghan refugees, and praised the position of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in this context, adding that she shares her welcome to Afghan civilians in Europe, and considered her "the only person who once again preserves the honor of Europe."

For his part, the Green Party presidential candidate Yannick Gadeau tweeted, "Surprised by what I heard from Macron, and his declaration that women, men and children fleeing the inferno of the Taliban pose a threat and that they are "irregular immigrants."

"France and the European Union can do much better before they become victims or perhaps refugees," Gadou added.

As for the right and the extreme right, they called for extremism in this sensitive file, eight months before the presidential elections.

In this context, Xavier Bertrand, the right-wing candidate for the presidential elections scheduled for April 2022, warned that "the Afghan crisis could turn into a new wave of immigration to Europe."

After the uproar caused by Macron's statements, the French presidency responded with a statement, saying, "We have no reason to be ashamed, because we are one of the countries most welcoming to Afghans and the most protective of them," while Macron expressed his regret for "attempts by some to distort his statements."


Evacuation and pending orders

According to official figures, France has received about 10,000 asylum applications from Afghans since 2018.

In contrast, the total number of asylum applications to the European Union was about 50,000.

On the ground, French military planes made several flights to Kabul airport in recent days, during which they evacuated 216 people, including 184 Afghans "from civil society in need of protection," as the Foreign Ministry announced in its statement the day before yesterday, Wednesday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the operation allowed the evacuation of 25 French citizens, "which means a large part of the French and Afghan nationals who took refuge in the French embassy building in Kabul."

A French Air Force plane carrying more than 200 passengers - including French and a large majority of Afghans - landed at Roissy Airport (Charles de Gaulle Airport) in Paris on Thursday evening.

In statements to local media on Thursday, the head of the French diplomacy said, "If the new generation of the Taliban wants international recognition, they must first allow the exit of Afghans who want to leave the country because they are afraid, then they must prevent their country from becoming a haven for terrorism, and prove this." very tangibly."

Afghans wait to be evacuated from Kabul airport after the Taliban took over the Afghan capital (AFP)

The priority is to evacuate them

On a related side, human rights associations and organizations denounced what they described as the "negative French position" and "the vacillating European position", and warned that Afghan civilians, activists and refugees should be given priority and utmost importance in the evacuation process from Kabul Airport, and then receiving them in Europe.

"What is happening before our eyes in Afghanistan is a tragedy that should have been foreseen and avoided, and it will not get worse if the international community takes swift and decisive action," said Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard.

"Thousands of academics, journalists, civil society activists and women's rights are at risk of Taliban retaliation," Callamard added - in a statement, a copy of which was received by Al Jazeera Net.

She stressed the need for foreign governments to take the necessary measures to ensure safe passage for those at risk of being targeted, and the importance of "accelerating visa procedures, sending reinforcements to evacuate Kabul airport, ensuring the transfer and resettlement of these people, and stopping all deportations and forcible returns to Afghanistan."

As for the prestigious French association "CIMAD", known for its defense of refugee rights, it submitted a petition - a copy of which was received by Al Jazeera Net - to the President of the Republic, in which it said, "France has a legal and moral duty to work to protect all Afghan citizens."

The association called on the French president to "respect France's human rights obligations by providing protection and hospitality to all Afghans who request it, and to protect people who risk their lives in Afghanistan in the long term."

It also demanded that the families of Afghan refugees in France be allowed to reach French territory as soon as possible, that deportations to Afghanistan be ended immediately, and that asylum seekers not be transferred to another European country.

In a statement that Al Jazeera Net received a copy of, yesterday, Thursday, more than 30 human rights organizations called - including the Norwegian Refugee Council, the European Council for Refugees and Exiles, "Refugees Work in the Netherlands", and the European Union - to suspend the deportations and deportations of asylum-seekers in Europe to Europe. Afghanistan immediately, taking into account the deteriorating security in the country.

In early July, Afghanistan urged European countries to end the deportations for at least 3 months, and while Sweden, Finland and Norway recently suspended operations in this temporarily, some countries did not respond to the Afghan government's appeal, according to the statement.


European Union fears

The corridors of the European Union witnessed a movement of urgent meetings and reactions described by observers as "apprehensive", "cautious" and "volatile".

On Wednesday, the fate of Afghans who wanted to flee their country after the Taliban victory topped the discussions of the European Union interior ministers.

"We must prevent people from making very dangerous journeys and irregularly reaching the borders of the European Union," said European Commissioner for Home Affairs in Afghanistan Ylva Johansson.

"We must avoid irregular and dangerous routes facilitated by smugglers, and provide legal and safe channels for people who need international protection to come to the EU," she added.

European Parliament President David Sassoli announced that the issue of refugees and developments in Afghanistan will be raised in the meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, as well as in her upcoming meeting on Sunday in Kiev with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.