France criticised after Macron warned of rising number of migrants entering Europe
The Chancellor of Germany – Angela Merkle has said that Germany must urgently evacuate upto 10,000 people from Afghanistan for whom it has responsibility.
Concerned about the safety of its nationals and the rising humanitarian crisis in the region after Taliban took over the Government of Afghanistan, Merkel warned of bloodshed in Afghanistan.
Germany, which had the second-largest military contingent in Afghanistan after the United States (U.S.), wants to airlift thousands of German-Afghan dual nationals as well as rights activists, lawyers and people who worked with foreign forces. She has also said that Germany must cooperate with countries bordering Afghanistan to support the people who want to leave Afghanistan.
Speaking to her party members of Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she said, “We are witnessing difficult times. Now we must focus on the rescue mission.”
However, the General Secretary of CDU – Paul Ziemiak, said Germany cannot fix the situation in Afghanistan through a repeat of the open-door migrant policy it pursued in 2015. Six years ago, Germany had opened its borders to more than one million migrants, many of them Syrians, fleeing war and poverty. While the move earned plaudits to Merkel, her move proved controversial at home and eroded CDU’s position.
Ziemiak said, “For us, it is clear that 2015 must not be repeated. We won’t be able to solve the Afghanistan question through migration to Germany.”
The Defence Minister of Germany – Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said that Germany has deployed special forces and paratroopers to help the evacuation. The added that as long as it remains possible, the German army will get as many people as possible out of Afghanistan and maintain the air bridge.
Meanwhile, the first German military plane which landed in Kabul, could evacuate only 7 Germans because of the chaos at the Kabul Airport. With 600 soldiers being deployed for evacuation, Germany hopes to get more people out in the coming hours. The second German flight has also landed at Kabul Airport.
Apart from this, Germany has also flown 40 members of its Embassy in Afghanistan to Doha. A team of 10 members is still in Afghanistan to coordinate evacuations.
Separately, the French President – Emmanuel Macron has said that France, Germany and other European Union (E.U.) countries are working on a coordinated response against expected “irregular migratory flows” from Afghanistan.
Addressing the nation in a televised speech, Macron said that the situation in Afghanistan is an “important challenge for our own security”.
Macron said, “We must anticipate and protect ourselves against significant irregular migratory flows that would endanger the migrants and risk encouraging trafficking of all kinds.”
He stated that Europe’s wider strategy is to make sure that war-torn country does not again become a “sanctuary for terrorism”.
He further said, “Our actions will, above all, be aimed at fighting actively against Islamist terrorism in all its forms. Terrorist groups are present in Afghanistan and seek to profit from the instability.”
Taking it to twitter, Macron tweeted (translated in English), “France will continue to take the initiative at the diplomatic level. To continue the fight against Islamist terrorism under the aegis of the UN Security Council. To anticipate and protect us against irregular migratory flows with our European partners.” Original tweet in French:
La France continuera à être à l’initiative sur le plan diplomatique. Pour poursuivre la lutte contre le terrorisme islamiste sous l’égide du Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU. Pour anticiper et nous protéger contre des flux migratoires irréguliers avec nos partenaires européens.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 16, 2021
Macron’s statement on protecting E.U. from migrants drew criticism from leading human rights activists, including Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard, who called them “shameful”.
In response to the backlash, Macron criticised the human right activists and accused them of “hijacking” his comments. He also clarified that France would continue to do its duty and protect those who want to leave Afghanistan.
