German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit had announced on Friday the European country’s decision to deport the Afghan nationals, saying they were all “convicted criminals.”
Qatar has reportedly facilitated negotiations between the German government and the Taliban-led Afghan administration to repatriate 28 Afghans to Kabul.
A source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Al Jazeera on Friday that the Gulf state facilitated the discussions between the two sides.
Germany required other channels of communication to return the Afghans as it had cut diplomatic ties with the current government in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul on August 15, 2021.
The official, who remained anonymous, noted in their comments to Al Jazeera that Qatar has been serving as a channel of communication between the Afghan administration and the international community.
This comes under its policy of “supporting efforts aimed at achieving and sustaining peace globally”, with Doha currently hosting “a number of Western diplomatic missions to Afghanistan and also looks after the interests of other countries there.”
German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit had announced on Friday the European country’s decision to deport the Afghan nationals, saying they were all “convicted criminals.”
“All of the Afghan nationals have been convicted for criminal offences, carry no legal residency and were subject to return orders,” he said in a statement, noting the deportation marked the first such move since the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul.
He explained: “Throughout recent months, the Federal Government has undertaken substantial efforts to resume such returns and has supported the German States (Länder) in this respect.”
The German official said that Berlin had “sought the support of key regional partners to help facilitate the return,” without listing those that played a role in the process.
“The Federal Government is very grateful for this support. The Federal Government will continue with such returns. The security interests of Germany clearly outweigh the claim for protection of criminals and individuals endangering national security,” he said.
The deportation of the Afghans came under what the German government had described as efforts to tighten its measures against criminal offences.
In June, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to deport criminals from Afghanistan and Syria following a deadly knife attack in Mannheim that killed a police officer on May 31.
A similar attack took place last week in Solingen, where three people were killed by a man suspected to be a 26-year-old Syrian who previously had a deportation order.
Qatar’s efforts in Afghanistan
Qatar has hosted the Taliban’s political office under Washington’s request since 2013 to help facilitate dialogue with the West.
Doha also hosted the intra-Afghan talks between Afghanistan’s former government and the Taliban in 2020 in an effort to reach a political solution. During the same year, it held talks between the United States and the Taliban, where the Doha agreement was signed.
The Gulf state played a more pivotal role in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in 2021 where it evacuated more than 80,000 Afghans and foreigners. Qatar had also agreed to relocate several embassies from Kabul to Doha.
In 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden designated Qatar as a Major Non-NATO Ally in recognition for its efforts in Afghanistan.
