“The Islamic Republic of Iran seeks legal ways to resolve the issue of Afghan refugees but permanent solutions must be found for the problem of undocumented Afghan refugees,” Alireza Bigdeli said in a meeting with Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Refugee and Repatriation Mawlawi Abdul Kabir.

He added that Iran seeks to legalize the presence of Afghan refugees and hailed Afghanistan’s ban on human trafficking, according to Press TV.

“Prohibition of human trafficking from Afghanistan to Iran will strengthen cooperation between the two countries,” the Iranian diplomat explained.

During the meeting, Bigdeli and Abdul Kabir emphasized that the issue of refugees should be separated from political matters and stressed the importance of taking practical steps to solve the problem.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Iran factsheet for April-June 2024, Iran is host to the largest refugee population in the world, hosting 3.8 million refugees and people in refugee-like situations, generously hosting refugees for over four decades.

The factsheet noted that 99% of registered refugees live in urban areas side by side with the local communities while 1% of registered refugees live in 21 refugee settlements in 12 provinces of Iran.

MNA