Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) tells NRK that Norway will continue the evacuation as long as the airport outside Kabul is open, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue the work with full force.
However, I would like to emphasize again that this is a very demanding job in a chaotic and at times dangerous situation, and there is no guarantee that we will be able to help all Norwegian citizens who want assistance in this round, says Søreide.
Do not know how many are waiting
The evacuees have arrived in Norway on seven flights. Employees at the embassy and the local staff, as well as their families, are among those taken out.
– We are very relieved and happy about that, because they are in a vulnerable situation, says Søreide.
She has no total overview of how many people should have been evacuated and who are still waiting to get out. But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ 24-hour operational center in Oslo has contact with everyone who is at the airport or nearby, and they work to assist them with departure opportunities and how to behave outside the airport.
Staff at the airport
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has five employees at the airport in Kabul who have now replaced Ambassador Ole Andreas Lindemann.
– We work closely with the Armed Forces, the police, the immigration and health authorities on everything from ID checks to reception when travelers from Kabul come to Norway. We also have a good collaboration with the Georgian authorities who assist when our planes land in Tbilisi, says Søreide.
She says Norway and several other NATO allies have asked the United States to continue the operation so that there is an opportunity to evacuate as many as possible.
– We do not know how long the airport will be open and evacuation will be possible. The time window can be short, says the foreign minister.
– We are still very concerned about the situation around the airport, which is chaotic and dangerous. A few more are still able to get into the airport now, she says, and once again asks Norwegian citizens and people with a residence permit to register on reseregistrering.no and contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if they want assistance.
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