ForMin Aurescu: Only one Romanian national outside Kabul airport wants repatriation

Romania's Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Friday that in addition to 14 Romanian nationals who arrived at the airport in Kabul, there is only one Romanian outside the airport who wants repatriation. "I am glad that today, through the efforts of our colleagues from the task force, we managed to bring inside the airport the 14 Romanian nationals who at the beginning of the week were at a military base located about 6 km from the airport. The other Romanian nationals who are in Kabul and who are not at the international airport and who have not expressed their desire to be evacuated have evacuation plans established by their employers, whether we are talking about the UN, a company or other instances, we are in constant contact with those Romanian nationals. (...) Apart from the 14 Romanian nationals, there is only one Romanian outside the airport who wants repatriation, working for a UN programme who also tried and will continue to try to join a UN convoy to get to the airport," Aurescu told Digi 24 private broadcaster. He added that it is difficult for people to get to Kabul airport because there are a number of obstacles, checkpoints that are controlled by various factions of the Taliban movement. Romania's Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) announced on Friday that 14 Romanian citizens arrived safely at the Kabul international airport to be evacuated on the next flight of a Romanian military aircraft that was stationed in Islamabad. According to MAE, the 14 Romanians are employees of a security company operating in Afghanistan. They were at a military base outside the airport until Friday morning. AGERPRES (RO - editor: Dana Piciu, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)