KABUL - The Afghan caretaker government's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi called the sanctions imposed by foreign countries "cruel," a statement from the ministry said Thursday.

In an event held to meet the family of the Afghan migrants who died while being illegally taken to Bulgaria, Muttaqi described the sanctions imposed by foreign countries as "cruel" and harmful to the Afghans.

Muttaqi called Afghanistan a home for all Afghans. "Anyone has the right to live a dignified life, and invest in business in this country, even if they don't like the government," he said.

The bodies of 18 Afghan migrants who died while being smuggled into Bulgaria were returned to Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Wednesday.

According to reports, Bulgarian authorities discovered the bodies in a secret compartment in the back of a truck left on a highway near the country's capital Sofia.

They confirmed all 18 had died of suffocation and seven people have been detained in connection to the deaths.