Russia calls for common efforts to resolve issues of Afghan refugees, says Foreign Minister Lavrov

Russia has urged collective efforts to address the issue of Afghan refugees.

Speaking at a joint press conference after meeting with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Thani, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted a common concern over the influx of refugees from the Central Asian country, Sputnik reported.

"We emphasize the need to solve this problem as soon as possible, and, for this, it is important to engage all the countries involved," Lavrov said.

As the Taliban has taken over Kabul, people are trying to flee the country fearing the return to an extreme version of Islamic Sharia rule.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) last month estimated that 500,000 Afghans will leave the country in the next four months.

According to the UNHCR, until now there had not been mass migration, but the evolving situation will lead to a large number of people leaving the country, reported Tolo News.

The UNHCR asked neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to Afghan refugees.

Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has asked the United Nations to provide the organization with USD 12 million to provide food for in-need Afghans, reported Tolo News.

As per residents, the political uncertainty, unemployment and security issues have forced them to leave the country.

(ANI)

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