Kabul: Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, during a meeting with family members of the 18 Afghan migrants who died while being smuggled into Bulgaria, called the sanctions imposed by foreign countries cruel, reported TOLO News.

Muttaqi said, "The world countries should listen, they should not pursue their cases under the pretext that these people are being harmed here. They should not damage the Afghan academic figures. They should not evacuate them from Afghanistan."

A family of a victim who was seeking to enter Bulgaria illegally was interviewed by TOLO News, an Afghanistan-based news network.

28-year-old Nai, was among the 18 Afghan refugees who succumbed in a container while in Bulgaria. Naim was a farmer and only had basic education.

Naim's father said, "He said 'prepare yourself.' I asked him 'what for?' He told me 'our brother has been martyred but we did not tell you."

Naim's brother said, "The reason was that he was unemployed and there was no work in Afghanistan. All the people are forced to leave, and they leave the country due to this."

According to relatives of Naim, he left the country due to severe economic conditions and unemployment.

"He called me one day and said that I made by decision and I am going to Turkey and France. Bring me USD 200. I told him, one my sons is in France, I will tell him.....This was his last word, I did not give him money," said a relative of Naim, reported TOLO News.

Meanwhile, the acting foreign minister said that Afghanistan is a home for all Afghans, adding that "if someone likes the government or not, he/she has the right to live in this country -- invest in business and live a dignified life."

The bodies of these 18 Afghan refugees were returned to Afghanistan on Tuesday, TOLO News reported.