BERLIN — Germany has received assurance from the Taliban that Afghan nationals will be allowed to leave the country even after the withdrawal deadline of Aug. 31, informed the German government on Aug.26.
The decision comes despite the statement of the Taliban warning the US against encouraging the Afghan elite to leave the country amid large-scale US evacuating operations.
German envoy to Afghanistan, Potzel Markus, said that Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the deputy director of the Taliban’s political office, has assured him that Afghans with legal documents will be allowed to travel on commercial flights after Aug. 31.
“Met Deputy Director of the Taliban’s political office Sher Abbas Stanekzai and his team for a comprehensive discussion in Doha on Aug. 24,” Markus tweeted. “We talked about the urgent need for a functioning airport in Kabul as a prerequisite for diplomatic & NGO presence in AFG.”
“GER pledged to increase humanitarian aid for the AFG people through international organizations by €100mio,” said Markus. “Resumption of development cooperation will be dependent on conditions, as was the case with the AFG government in the past.”
“Director Stanekzai assured me that Afghans with legal documents would continue to have the opportunity to travel on commercial flights after Aug. 31,” he said in a subsequent tweet.
On Aug. 24, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that G7 leaders agreed to help the Afghan people amid the current situation in the war-torn country and the need to secure the Kabul airport as long as necessary to complete the evacuation operations.
“We all agreed that it is our moral duty to help the Afghan people and to provide as much support as possible as conditions allow,” Leyen said.
Later, she also confirmed the same through her tweet.
“We @G7 leaders all agree that it is our moral duty to help the Afghan people & provide as much support as conditions allow. We discussed evacuations, immediate humanitarian aid, longer-term development aid, and scenarios for refugees in need of protection,” she tweeted.
“I’m grateful that most of the European Union’s staff, including Afghan staff and their families, have been evacuated from Afghanistan and are now safe. This is thanks to the hard work and dedication of @eu_eeas and the strong support from France, Italy, Belgium, and Spain.”
Last week, the Taliban entered Kabul, causing the civilian government to collapse. As a result, many countries have started evacuating their citizens and diplomatic personnel from the beleaguered nation due to the precarious security situation. Some have pledged to take in several Afghan asylum seekers.
Another member of G7, Canada, as of Aug. 25, has airlifted more than 2,700 people out of Kabul, including Afghan refugees, Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and citizens of other nations.
(With inputs from ANI)
Edited by Saptak Datta and Ritaban Misra
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