This is Why Afghan Refugees Choose to Return Home From Europe

European nations have violated the rights of refugees from Afghanistan by unilaterally deporting asylum seekers, Afghanistan's Minister of Refugees and Repatriations Alami Balkhi told Sputnik, saying that the government will make every effort to protect them and that more migrants will return home from Europe due to unfulfilled aspirations.

"It is a well-known fact that in 2015 a massive flow of refugees rushed into Europe. [They did not only come from] Afghanistan, but other countries as well. More than 1 million migrants, including 154,000 Afghanis applied for asylum in Germany alone," he detailed.

Germany was considered to be a top destination for refugees fleeing violence in the Middle East and North Africa due to Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door immigration policy. 

"Once the influx of refugees became evident, authorities in Germany and other [European] countries said that they will deport a certain number of migrants and are not interested in signing any agreements with the [refugees'] countries of origin," the minister explained.

In other words, European governments "made it clear that they planned to resolve the issue unilaterally and will send migrants back home," he added.

The government of Afghanistan, according to the official, has maintained that "European countries which make decisions with regard to migrants unilaterally are violating the rights of refugees."

Alami Balkhi insisted that Kabul "intends to protect the rights" of refugees. "In no way do we accept this decision of the European countries," he noted.

The minister further said that a research showed that only 125 Afghan nationals, whom German authorities wanted to deport, were willing to return home. "We organized a special flight for them to return to Afghanistan," he said. Other people followed their lead, bringing the total of refugees who went back to Afghanistan to approximately 2,000 people.

Alami Balkhi was convinced that more Afghan migrants would return home in the future due to disappointing expectations.

"People have learned through their experience that their aspirations have not been met and that it is better to live at home than in Europe," he said.