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Refugees from Afghanistan’s northern provinces, where fighting with the Taliban is raging, have taken refuge in a park in Kabul.
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More than 70 countries, including most EU members, have pledged to help the Afghan people. Bulgaria and Hungary were the only 27 members of the union that did not appear in the initial list of signatories to the joint declaration published by the European External Action Service and the US State Department. Sofia subsequently joined the general call.
The joint statement comes after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. The international declaration calls for the country to be abandoned
open to
all comers
to leave
and expresses its readiness to help the citizens of Afghanistan. “We in the international community are ready to assist them.” The United States, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Britain, Canada, Germany, Australia, Ukraine, South Korea, and some African and Latin American countries have joined the call.
The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry explained that the reason for the delay was the time difference. “Since the declaration comes from the US State Department, there is a time difference and that is why Bulgaria was not on the list, but it is already there since we joined,” the Foreign Ministry explained.
The situation in Afghanistan and the actions of the Belarusian authorities in the field of border control require the EU to urgently review the general rules on migration and asylum, European Commission Deputy Chief Margaritis Schinas said on Twitter. “To sum up, the situation in Afghanistan and the actions of the Belarusian authorities have shown that time has passed and we cannot wait any longer to carry out the necessary comprehensive restructuring of European migration and asylum standards,” he wrote.
“No one has the right to
blackmails Europe,
and even more he can’t do it using people. It is therefore necessary to sign the Covenant (for migration – b.r.), which has been waiting since September “, added Shinas in an interview with the Italian newspaper” Stampa “. Regarding the obstacles to the approval of the pact, the Deputy Head of the EC explained that the countries in which the topic of migration is less tangible, consider that the management of flows is a “problem” of others and does not affect them. In fact, it affects everyone and a common approach is needed, everyone should work as a team, Shinas stressed.
“We are building firewalls along our borders to prevent the passage of illegal migrants, mainly from Afghanistan,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. One is on the border with Iran, where the illegal flow from Afghanistan to Turkey passes, and the other is on the border with Iraq. The construction of both walls is nearing completion.
The concrete defensive wall on the Iranian border is 156 km long, of which a 109-kilometer section is equipped with lighting systems and cameras for continuous surveillance. In addition, troops from the regular army and gendarmerie were sent to the eastern borders.
At the same time, the presidents of Turkey and Pakistan agreed at a meeting in Istanbul to co-operate to stabilize Afghanistan and prevent a new migrant crisis. After talks with his Pakistani counterpart Arifsi Alvi, Turkish President Erdogan said that
Turkey is facing
“In the face of a wave of Afghans,
passing through Iran “
The Prime Minister of Northern Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, said he had informed the United States that he was available to help save the lives of Afghan civilians. These are civilians, people who have supported NATO Allied forces over the past 20 years. Skopje is ready to provide accommodation in hotels and resorts, and the cost of their stay until a permanent destination would be fully covered by the United States.
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright tweeted Albania, Canada, Kosovo and northern Macedonia for agreeing to grant asylum to women and children of Afghan civil society leaders.
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