The German government is negotiating an agreement with Uzbekistan to facilitate the deportation of Afghan refugees identified as alleged offenders, German media reported.
The plan aims to help Berlin avoid making direct deals with the Taliban, according to officials familiar with the matter.
Following a knife attack carried out by an Afghan refugee at an anti-Islam gathering in Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has taken a tougher stance on migration, vowing to deport criminal asylum seekers to Afghanistan and Syria.
A German delegation has visited Uzbekistan in an effort to advance the negotiations. However, Uzbekistan has sought a preliminary agreement with Germany to send its workers to the European Union nation, the report said.
The German interior ministry has not officially commented on the matter.
