Minister Svetlan Stoev: The situation in Afghanistan is worrying, the immediate and urgent priority is the evacuation of our citizens
17 August 2021 News
The situation in Afghanistan is worrying, and the evacuation of our citizens is an immediate and urgent priority. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Svetlan Stoev to his colleagues from EU during the Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council held today, dedicated to the situation in Afghanistan.
EU foreign ministers discussed the extremely worrying and dynamic situation in Afghanistan and the resulting challenges for the country, the region and the EU.
The evacuation of Member States' citizens and local staff of foreign missions and international organizations was unanimously identified as an immediate priority.
The EU's commitment to Afghanistan's stability and assistance to the country's population was reaffirmed. There is a will to develop an updated EU strategy for Afghanistan. Cooperation and support for countries in the region will be key to tackling the situation, including migrant pressure.
The foreign ministers agreed that the expectations for compliance with international and humanitarian law and the country's international commitments should be clearly stated to the future government of Afghanistan. Special attention was paid to the situation of women and girls, as well as minorities, whose rights and equal participation in the social life of the country must be ensured.
In his speech, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister also expressed concern about the large number of Afghans leaving their country and the increased migrant pressure on Bulgaria as the EU's external border. In this context, Bulgaria will rely on EU solidarity.
The Foreign Affairs Council concluded by adopting a Statement on the situation in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan was also included as a topic in an informal meeting of foreign ministers in early September.