– I am glad that our first plane has now departed from Kabul. On board are Norwegian citizens, some family members of our locally employed Afghans and some other European citizens, says Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) to NTB.
The plane is scheduled to land in Tbilisi, Georgia before arriving in Norway.
– We continue our intensive work to evacuate our locally employed Afghans and their families, as well as Norwegian citizens and people living in Norway. The work is demanding, and it can take time, says Eriksen Søreide.
More and more people are being evacuated
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that several expatriates at the Norwegian Embassy in Kabul had been evacuated home to Norway. The same was true of nine people from the Armed Forces’ sanitation.
– I just met them. They are tired, but in good spirits and in good health. They will now receive follow-up and rest, said Eriksen Søreide.
– They have had a long journey and dramatic experiences, she says.
These people were evacuated home via the Danish Armed Forces. The plane, which is now on its way from Kabul, is thus the first Norwegian plane to evacuate Norwegians from Afghanistan in the wake of the chaotic situation.
Ask people to sign up
Norwegian authorities do not have any confirmed figures on how many Norwegian citizens are in Afghanistan.
Therefore, the Minister of Foreign Affairs encourages all Norwegian citizens who are in Afghanistan to register reiseregistrering.no.
– The registration is voluntary, but it is a crucial tool for us that gives us an overview of how many Norwegian citizens are in Afghanistan, she says.
The Minister also reminded that the Norwegian Embassy in Kabul cannot provide regular consular assistance as long as it is closed. Inquiries to the embassy are automatically forwarded to the Foreign Ministry’s operational center in Oslo, which is now staffed 24 hours a day and will answer telephones and emails.
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