Philippine president says no deal reached yet with US on hosting Afghan refugees

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said Thursday that no final decision has been taken yet regarding a US request for his country to temporarily host up to 1,000 Afghan nationals while their special immigrant visas are processed.

“I was really surprised when I saw some of the news reports saying there’s a deal between the US and the Philippines. We are still looking exactly at how to make it work if we can. We will find a way to make it happen,” the state-run Philippines News Agency quoted Marcos as saying while speaking to reporters.

The US government reportedly asked the Philippines to temporarily host a US immigrant visa processing center.

But Marcos said there are security concerns.

"This is something different. This is something we have not encountered before," he added.

He said his government will continue to study the US proposal and they can do it if the country’s security is not endangered.

Washington first made the request to Manila in October last year to host Afghan nationals for the processing of special immigration visas for them and their families. They formerly worked for the US government and now their lives are in danger, according to the agency.

The US is also proposing that the Afghans be accommodated in batches of around 1,000 to 1,500 per month.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid