The minister’s remarks came in the international annual meeting of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in the Swiss city of Geneva.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran not only tried to meet the primary needs of the Afghan refugees, but has provided equal opportunities for them to study and acquire vocational skills,” said Rahmani Fazli in Geneva, calling for a global contribution to resolve the problems of refugees.
The Iranian official also called for more action to prepare the ground for the return of Afghans to their country.
“International community including the UNHCR should provide necessary requirements for the Afghan refugees to return to their homeland,” certified Rahmani Fazli.
Iran is one of the global record-holders in hosting millions of refugees from neighboring countries for more than three decades. Since former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees fled to Iran and resided in different Iranian cities. Iran also provided asylum for hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees who had been uprooted as a result of the Persian Gulf War in early 90’s.