Minister of Foreign Affairs to travel to region of Afghanistan next week

Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigrid Kaag will travel to the Afghanistan region next week, Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Twitter Saturday evening. He assured that the Cabinet is doing everything they can to make evacuations out of Kabul possible again soon.

“The Dutch government will keep doing everything possible to enable evacuation to be resumed”, Rutte tweeted.

The last plane to the Netherlands departed out of Kabul on Thursday. An estimated 230 people who were on the Dutch evacuation list were left behind in the country that is now ruled by the Taliban.

These people include holders of a Dutch passport, as well as, interpreters and other Afghans that worked for the Netherlands under different positions. They all fear what the Taliban might do to them for helping a Western country.

Rutte also stated that he spoke of the current situation in Afghanistan with German chancellor Angela Merkel.

“Chancellor Merkel and I agreed to have a presence again as soon as possible in Kabul, working with the UK and other countries as soon as political and security situation allows”, the prime minister wrote.

To which country exactly Kaag will travel and what she will do there was not specified by a spokesperson.

Chancellor Merkel and I agreed to have a presence again as soon as possible in Kabul, working with the UK and other countries, as soon as the political and security situation allows.

— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) August 28, 2021