German streets not paved with gold, Afghan president warns
Nicole Goebel
September 6, 2018
Afghans shouldn't harbor false hopes of a German life of wealth and luxury, President Ashraf Ghani has said. In a newspaper interview, he also called Germany a "beacon of hope."
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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told mass-circulation Bild newspaper that it was crucial to keep too many Afghans from leaving the country by exposing the "false belief that the streets in Germany are paved with gold. That's not the case."
In the in-depth interview, he also pointed out that many Afghan asylum-seekers, even if approved, have to work in jobs involving manual labor. He added that he did not want to diminish that kind of work, but stressed that "people who are part of the middle class and who could be participating in Afghanistan's varied corporate opportunities will end up doing more menial work in Germany."
Ghani warned his people of the type of work they would find in GermanyImage: picture-alliance/AP/R. Gul
He said communication was key to making people aware that emigrating to Germany or other Western countries was no panacea.
Asked about the skepticism in Germany about whether the integration of asylum-seekers, including those from Afghanistan, can be successful, he urged Germans not to "condemn the whole nation because of one, two or three people," as "for every person who has committed an offense or a crime, there are hundreds who are very productive."
Recently, an Afghan refugee was sentenced for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Germany. The killing sparked demonstrations against what some see as excessive migration and lack of integration.
Endless battle for power in Afghanistan
Seventeen years after the US invasion of Afghanistan, the war-torn country remains in the grip of Islamist violence. A string of deadly attacks in the last year suggests militants are stronger than ever.
Image: picture alliance/Photoshot
Fragile security
Repeated attacks in Afghanistan in 2018 and 2019 have killed and wounded hundreds of innocent Afghans, and shown the world the fragile and worsening state of security in the conflict-stricken country. The incidents have plunged war-weary Afghan citizens into a state of despair and highlighted the limitations faced by the government in Kabul in ensuring public security.
Image: Reuters/M. Ismail
A long series of attacks
The violent incidents have made Afghanistan once again a staple of international headlines. Outfits like the Taliban and the "Islamic State" (IS) have claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Afghan government is under heavy pressure to restore security and take back territory controlled by a number of insurgent groups, including the Taliban and IS.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Hossaini
Spring offensive
In 2018, the Taliban announced the start of their annual spring offensive, dismissing an offer of peace talks by President Ashraf Ghani. The militants, fighting to restore their version of strict Islamic law to Afghanistan, said their campaign was a response to a more aggressive US military strategy adopted in 2017, which aims to force the militants into peace talks.
Image: Reuters
Trump's Afghanistan policy
US President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy for Afghanistan in 2017, vowing to deploy more troops to train and advise Afghan security forces. Trump also pledged to support Afghan troops in their war against the Taliban and maintain US presence in the country for as long as there was a need for it. In 2019, he reversed course and promised a troop pullout.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/B. Smialowski
Afghan peace process
Despite President Ghani's offer in February 2018 for peace talks "without preconditions," the Taliban had until 2019 shown no interest, dismissing the peace overtures as a "conspiracy."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N. Shirzad
Pakistani support
Pakistan has been under pressure from Kabul and Washington to stop offering safe havens to militants blamed for attacks in Afghanistan, a charge Islamabad denies and insists that its influence over the insurgents has been exaggerated. Kabul and Islamabad regularly trade accusations of harboring the other country's militants and the harsh language has underscored the strains between them.
Image: DW/H. Hamraz
Role of the warlords
Apart from the Taliban, Afghan warlords exercise massive influence in the country. Last year, Hizb-i-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar returned to Kabul after a 20-year exile to play an active role in Afghan politics. In September 2016, the Afghan government signed a deal with Hekmatyar in the hope that other warlords and militant groups would seek better ties with Kabul.
Image: Reuters/O.Sobhani
An inefficient government
In the midst of an endless battle for power, President Ghani's approval ratings continue to plummet. Rampant corruption in the Afghan government and a long tug-of-war within the US-brokered national unity government has had a negative impact on the government's efforts to eradicate terrorism.
Image: Reuters/K. Pempel
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In the first half of 2018, more than 6,100 Afghans applied for asylum in Germany, ranking the country in fourth place. Around 35 percent of Afghan requests for asylum are typically approved in Germany. Germany also has a controversial program of deporting Afghans who apply for but do not receive asylum.
No 'fortress' Germany
"Germany cannot turn into a fortress," Ghani warned, adding that Germany managed to rebuild itself after World War II by "opening up." He said, for him, Germany was a "beacon of light, social integration, economic growth and social empathy."
Ghani said one of Afghanistan's main problems that he is determined to tackle is human trafficking. "We don't want to send our people, we want to send our goods," Ghani said, stressing that he is working to build a stronger partnership with German business federations.
