The Government of the Republic of North Macedonia continues its intensive coordination with the allied NATO forces, with the US Embassy to our country and the international organizations within the frames of the international rescue and humanitarian mission for acceptance and saving Afghani civilians and peace-keeping citizens.
At this moment the Government has undertaken an obligation to accept 450 locals from Afghanistan – employees and women and children of the families of employees in the humanitarian and peace-keeping missions, activists from human rights organizations, journalists, interpreters, students, fellows, as well as citizens who have been providing support to NATO in Afghanistan, including the Macedonian army for the past 20 years.
The biggest part of 450 citizens who are expected to arrive to the end of this week, depending on the circumstances at the airport in Kabul, are coordinated and organized by the American non-governmental organization National Democratic Institute (NDI).
The Government adopted a decision to exempt all Afghani citizens, who will arrive at our country, from costs for issuance of visas while the costs for their accommodation in several hotels and motels in our country will be fully covered by the international organizations and the USA, until their departure to the USA or third countries as their final destination.
The Government assigned the Ministry of Interior and the National Security Agency to efficiently complete all operational, security and administrative obligations for acceptance of the Afghani citizens and for their transfer to the hotels where they will be accommodated.
The Government appeals for considerate, responsible and true dissemination of information regarding the international humanitarian mission that was joined by North Macedonia in this rescue initiative. No one has the right to impose fear on the citizens with incorrect, dangerous and false information, such as the one that this country will be populated by Taliban extremists.
The citizens from Afghanistan will arrive with precisely organized flights and they are employees or members of the families of employees in local and international democratic missions; they are not illegal migrants, they will not be accommodated in the reception center in Gazi Baba, nor in the new preventive capacities in Bardovci. North Macedonia is not facing a migrant crisis; on the contrary, North Macedonia is part of a great world humanitarian action for rescue of Afghani peace-keeping population that is at risk from the extremist Taliban structure.
At the same time, the Macedonian citizens who were registered at the Kabul Airport have boarded the military planes and have been transferred to Doha (Qatar) and Abu Dhabi (UAE).
All our citizens are safe and the diplomatic network of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in these countries is in direct contact and they are soon to depart for Skopje.
According to the latest information, 14 of our citizens are still in the NATO base in Kabul and pursuant to the evacuation schedule; part of them is expected to be safely transported by tomorrow. Three will remain in the NATO base according to their obligations.
