French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Saturday that France had already evacuated 2,834 people from Afghanistan and was conducting “discussions” with the Taliban and Qatar to continue the evacuation of Afghans threatened by the change of regime in Kabul on the 15th. August. These evacuations are planned jointly with Qatar which, as part of its discussions with the Taliban, has the possibility of “arranging airlift operations”, Emmanuel Macron said during a press conference in Baghdad, at the ‘from a regional summit.
Since August 17, France has evacuated 142 French people, 17 Europeans and more than 2,600 threatened Afghans from Afghanistan, he said at a press conference in Baghdad, where he was attending a regional conference. These evacuations took place thanks to “about fifteen flights” through the United Arab Emirates, explained the French president, the day after the end of this airlift. To continue the evacuations, discussions were “started with the Taliban” to “protect and repatriate Afghans and Afghans” in a situation of risk, he indicated.
Air lift
France is counting on the help of Qatar which, thanks to its good relations with the Taliban, “has the possibility of arranging airlift operations or reopening of certain airlines”, specified Emmanuel Macron, who has elsewhere took advantage of the Baghdad summit for an aside with the Emir of Qatar on this subject. This “would allow targeted evacuation operations”, “in a framework negotiated with the Taliban” and secured by them, he continued, adding knowing “that there is a lot of anxiety in many families”.
“Our goal is that we can in the days, weeks and months to come, through this cooperative work with Qatar and through discussions with the Taliban, carry out targeted evacuation operations to protect these women and men whom we have identified and to whom we have given temporary (residence) permits ”. “It is a condition for us of any form of political commitment in the long term, for France as for our allies, that the Taliban respect human rights”, he insisted. To succeed in continuing the evacuations, “we will play all our cards”, insisted a French diplomat.