There is growing scholarly and policy interest in understanding how destination and transit countries develop return migration policies and collaborate with origin countries. This study investigates the dynamics, drivers and outcomes of the collaborative process between Turkish and Afghan authorities in governing the return of Afghan migrants. Drawing on the concept of return diplomacy, derived from the broader framework of migration diplomacy—which explores the interplay between cross-border mobility and foreign policymaking—we analyse the bilateral talks and arrangements shaping these returns. Our examination of official documents, news sources, interviews and engagements with key informants reveals that authorities on both sides get involved in return diplomacy by leveraging historical and religious networks, as well as humanitarian diplomacy instruments. The drivers of this process are rooted in the domestic priorities of the Turkish government to manage return flows and the expectations of Afghan authorities and the Taliban for international legitimacy and aid through cooperation. The collaboration reflects a blend of formal and informal relations and practices. The outcomes, however, highlight significant opacity in bilateral negotiations and arrangements. These efforts lack a structured readmission framework and have resulted in record-high coerced returns of Afghan migrants (officially 42,498 in 2022) with minimal monitoring. While not fully representative, this case study provides valuable insights for enhancing theories of migration diplomacy and return governance by underscoring the utility of a decentred approach and emphasis on South-to-South contexts.

中文翻译：

---

回归土耳其和阿富汗之间的治理和外交


学术和政策界对了解目的地国和过境国如何制定回国移民政策并与原籍国合作的兴趣日益浓厚。本研究调查了土耳其和阿富汗当局在管理阿富汗移民返回方面的合作过程的动力、驱动因素和结果。借鉴源自更广泛的移民外交框架的回流外交概念——探索跨境流动性和外交政策制定之间的相互作用——我们分析了塑造这些回流的双边会谈和安排。我们对官方文件、新闻来源、采访和与主要线人的接触的审查表明，双方当局都通过利用历史和宗教网络以及人道主义外交工具参与回国外交。这一过程的驱动力植根于土耳其政府管理回流的国内优先事项，以及阿富汗当局和塔利班对国际合法性和通过合作提供援助的期望。这种合作反映了正式和非正式关系和实践的融合。然而，结果凸显了双边谈判和安排的显著不透明性。这些努力缺乏结构化的重新接纳框架，导致阿富汗移民的被迫遣返创下历史新高（2022 年官方为 42,498 人），而监控最少。虽然不完全具有代表性，但本案例研究通过强调去中心化方法的效用和强调南到南背景，为加强移民外交和回归治理理论提供了有价值的见解。