DUBAI: United Arab Emirate (UAE) has set a two-week deadline for 600 Afghan businessmen to leave the country and close their businesses.
However at this stage, the reasons for this bold decision are still unclear.
In addition, UAE has reportedly canceled visas and work permits of these 600 Afghan investors – some of whom have been running businesses there for years.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) officials confirmed this on Tuesday and said that a large number of Afghan investors had been asked by the UAE government to move their investments out of the country.
The government has assigned a team to visit the gulf country and discuss the matter with their officials, MoFA officials told media.
“The government is aware of the matter,” MoFA spokesman Shekib Mostaghni said. “A high-level delegation is expected to visit the country soon and resolve the issue.”
But Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) officials blame the issue on what they call government’s lack of support to Afghan investors.
They urged the Afghan government to not allow any country to force out Afghan businessmen.
“The government needs to strictly follow the issue because no one has the right to expel someone without any reason,” head of ACCI’s international relations committee, Azrakhsh Hafizi said.
It is said that about 11,000 Afghans have set up businesses in UAE – estimated to total nearly $20 billion USD.
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