- Title: Uzbekistan ready to help Germany with Afghanistan evacuations, minister says
- Date: 30th August 2021
- Summary: TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN (AUGUST 30, 2021) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER HEIKO MAAS ARRIVING IN CAR, BEING GREETED BY UZBEKISTAN FOREIGN MINISTER ABDULAZIZ KAMILOV WHITE FLASH VARIOUS OF TALKS IN PROGRESS WHITE FLASH VARIOUS OF PHOTO OP WITH MAAS AND KAMILOV
- Embargoed: 13th September 2021 08:46
- Keywords: Afghan refugees Afghanistan German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas Kabul Tashkent evacuees
- Location: TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN
- City: TASHKENT, UZBEKISTAN
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Europe,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001ESH2FK7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS WHITE FLASHES
Uzbekistan is willing to open its borders to people fleeing from Taliban rule in Afghanistan who are on a German list of those at-risk in the country and need to be evacuated, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told journalists on Monday (August 30).
Germany has identified tens of thousands more people who need to be evacuated from Afghanistan, including German citizens, local Afghan staff and at-risk groups such as human rights activists and journalists.
Maas is on a trip to Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Qatar, among other to find ways to evacuate these people, either by plane if Kabul airport can be kept open after NATO withdraws or overland to neighbouring countries.
"Uzbekistan is prepared to help us with this group of people," Maas said.
Maas also said German diplomats would be staying in Tashkent to handle negotiations with Afghanistan, with the help of Uzbekistan diplomats.
The German foreign minister would not be drawn on a timeframe for further evacuations, saying it would 'take weeks and months' and was very 'complicated.'
Efforts are underway to get all neighbouring countries together for talks and to pursue the options of possible overland routes for evacuees.
Maas said potential routes could not be discussed for security reasons.
(production: Tanya Wood, Andreas Rinke) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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