Decisions on Afghanistan

Romania will deploy 200 military to help evacuate Afghan citizens who worked for NATO

Leyla Cheamil, 26.08.2021, 14:00

The Romanian army will deploy 200 military for the evacuation
and relocation of Afghan citizens who worked for NATO missions in Afghanistan. Our
troops will head out in August and will stay for a maximum period of six
months. The decision was taken on Wednesday by the country’s Supreme Defense
Council. Council members decided to take action in order to bring to Romanian
Afghan citizens, as well as journalists, human rights activists and
magistrates, all endangered after the Taliban seized control of the country. According
to the Presidency, the NATO operation will mainly consist in picking up Afghan
citizens from temporary military bases in Kuwait and Qatar and relocating them
to stationary bases on the territory of allied states, with the provision of
key services.

The Council also ruled to activate the National Coalition for the
Integration of Refugees, and the Interior Ministry will be evaluate, in the
shortest time possible, our country’s capacity to integrate Afghan refugees. At
the same time, cooperation with the relevant European institutions will be
stepped up, with FRONTEX first and foremost, as well as with neighboring
states that might be targeted by possible migration waves coming from
Afghanistan. Moreover, the Council underscored the need to improve coordination
in terms of strategic communication and combating disinformation. For Romania,
the change of regime in Afghanistan may spell consequences in terms of security
and threats posed by extremism, terrorism, drug and arms trafficking and
illegal migration, the Presidency release also reads. In this context,
Bucharest will be taking all the necessary measures and will remain committed
to defending the interests of Romania and its citizens, and will actively take
part, alongside its allies, in the international effort to overcome this
crisis.

Council members also concluded
that dealing with the fallout of the military withdrawal from Afghanistan in
the short, medium and long term will be one of the major elements for improving
cooperation between NATO and the EU, and Romania will be contributing to this
effort. Approximately 40 Romanian citizens working in Afghanistan for private companies
or international organizations and who expressed their intention to leave the
country have been evacuated from Kabul onboard a Romanian military aircraft or
transported by other aircraft of NATO states. (VP)