Negotiations to attract migrant workers from Afghanistan have stalled

Negotiations between Moscow and Kabul on attracting labor migrants from Afghanistan to Russian enterprises have reached a dead end; a quick solution to the issue should not be expected. The special representative of the Russian President for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, told Izvestia about this.

“There are no such prospects. There have been consultations, but this is a very complex issue,” the diplomat explained, adding that the Russian Foreign Ministry has little ability to influence the issue. The obstacles are mainly posed by migration authorities and law enforcement agencies.

The Ambassador of Afghanistan to Russia, Hassan Gul Hassan, also said in early September that he could not name the exact date of the arrival of his compatriots in the country, but promised to do everything in his power to ensure that such an opportunity was realized.

Director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary Afghanistan Omar Nessar explained that from a political point of view, attracting migrants from this country would be beneficial.

However, they will most likely have problems adapting to Russian society. Without knowledge of the language, newcomers will live isolated in compact communities, which will slow down their socialization. And besides, there is still no mechanism between countries to verify candidates for participation in terrorist groups.

Nessar called agriculture and agro-industrial processing the most promising sector of work for Afghans in Russia. Work in it often does not require high qualifications and good knowledge of the Russian language, and is also more familiar to the residents of Afghanistan than construction.