Spain sends two planes to Afghanistan to repatriate diplomats and collaborators

USPA NEWS - Two Airbus 400M aircraft of the 31st Wing of the Spanish Air Force departed this Monday from the Zaragoza air base to Dubai, stopping off a trip that will take them to Afghanistan. The flight plan of the two military planes is kept secret "for security reasons," according to Spanish Government sources, since their mission is to evacuate diplomatic personnel deployed in Afghanistan, workers from the Spanish Embassy and several translators who they have collaborated with Spanish troops during their deployment in the Asian country.

According to Spanish Government sources, the evacuation of the Spaniards who still remain in Afghanistan is not closed due to the need to "guarantee the safety of all those participating in the operation," a Government spokesman explained on Monday. The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Albares, intensified diplomatic contacts to analyze the serious situation in Afghanistan. In the last hours, the head of Spanish diplomacy spoke by telephone with the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, and with the High Representative of the European Union, Josep Borrell.

In both conversations, both Stoltenberg and Borrell and the Spanish minister agreed on their concern about the serious humanitarian situation experienced by the Afghan civilian population, with special emphasis on the case of women and girls. In his telephone contacts, the minister explained to them the evacuation plans from Spain for Spanish and Afghan citizens who have collaborated with Spain's military missions and cooperation projects during these years, as well as their families.

Jose Manuel Albares also expressed the readiness of the Spanish Government to support the efforts of the European Union and NATO, at the request of both, and transfer personnel from both organizations to Spain as a point of entry into the European Union. Spain is coordinating together with its partners and allies within the framework of the European Union and NATO a joint response to this humanitarian crisis. In this sense, Spain has joined the declaration of the European Union strongly condemning violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, calling for containment to safeguard the life and dignity of millions of civilians in Afghanistan.