Germany's Maas begins four-day trip to Afghan neighbors
August 29, 2021
Ankara cannot take on the burden of a new migrant wave from Afghanistan, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after meeting Germany's Heiko Maas. Turkey is only the first stop on Maas' four-day journey.
Heiko Maas' first stop is Turkey, which has been in talks with the Taliban over the running of Kabul airportImage: Michael Fischer/dpa/picture alliance
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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas promised aid for countries that border Afghanistan on Sunday.
He made the announcement as he embarked on a trip which involves five countries, all of which are playing a role in the ongoing efforts to get those in need of protection out of Afghanistan.
His first stop was Turkey, which could play a key role in operating the Kabul airport and the reception of refugees, as thousands seek to flee the Taliban.
"It is in our own interest to prevent the collapse in Afghanistan from destabilizing the entire region," Maas said as he promised humanitarian and economic aid. He also called for international coordination in dealing with the Taliban.
Turkey: Coping with another migrant wave is 'out of the question'
But Turkey has said it cannot take the burden of a new migrant influx from Afghanistan.
"As Turkey, we have sufficiently carried out our moral and humanitarian responsibilities regarding migration," Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after talks with Maas.
"It is out of the question for us to take an additional refugee burden," Cavusoglu added.
Visit to neighboring countries
After Turkey, Maas also plans to visit Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan, three of Afghanistan's neighboring countries, as well as Qatar, during what was scheduled to be a four-day trip.
Maas said Germany will stay committed to evacuation people out of KabulImage: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture alliance
His visit to Qatar is also of note as the country has actively participated in the evacuation effort from Kabul following the Taliban takeover.
Qatar's capital city of Doha houses the political office of the Taliban, functioning as the Foreign Ministry of the new regime in Afghanistan.
German negotiator Markus Potzel has been in talks with the office on issues related to evacuations.
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Germany not walking away
Ahead of his trip, Maas said in a statement that the evacuation effort to date has been a "tour de force involving many partners" and that the situation in Afghanistan remains "extremely volatile and dangerous."
"Not only Afghans but also neighboring states are facing challenges that they can hardly overcome on their own," Maas added, referring to the mounting refugee crisis.
"I am traveling to the region today to highlight this: Germany's commitment does not end with the conclusion of the military evacuation mission."
The minister said cooperation should now focus on reaching an "agreement with Afghanistan's neighbors on how Germans, our local forces and other Afghans in need of protection can reach Germany quickly and safely."
"It also includes our offer to neighboring states to help them cope with the humanitarian and economic consequences."
In pictures: The Kabul evacuation mission
Thousands of people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since the Taliban seized control in mid-August. But many will be left behind and face a high risk of retribution as the airlift enters its final days.
Image: U.S. Air Force/Getty Images
US helicopters evacuate embassy personnel
As the Taliban entered the capital, a US Chinook military helicopter evacuates American employees from the US Embassy in Kabul on August 15, 2021. Germany has also sent a pair of smaller helicopters to Kabul to assist in evacuation efforts.
Image: Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty Images
The struggle to reach Kabul's airport
Thousands of people rushed to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 16 and the following days with hopes of leaving Afghanistan. Dramatic scenes played out as people tried to access the airport and the relative safety from the Taliban it appeared to offer.
Image: Reuters
Desperate to escape the Taliban
Attempts to flee Afghanistan led hundreds of people to run alongside planes in attempts to climb aboard. The dangerous undertaking led to several deaths as people fell off planes while they were taking off, and human remains were also found in one plane's landing gear wheel well.
Image: AP Photo/picture alliance
Two decades later, Taliban back in control
After battling Afghan and international troops for two decades, the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan with apparent ease after troops from the United States, Germany and other countries began to withdraw. These Taliban fighters patrol a Kabul district market days after taking over the Afghan capital.
Image: Hoshang Hashimi/AFP
Safe — for the time being
People packed their way into any flights that would bring them out of Afghanistan. The people in this German Air Force transport plane flew to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Most of the military planes leaving Kabul head to Uzbekistan, Doha or Islamabad where passengers are processed and travel on to other destinations.
Image: Marc Tessensohn/Bundeswehr/Reuters
A helping hand
Afghan refugees at the Ramstein US Air Base in Germany are in dire need of supplies. The Air Base is providing temporary lodging for thousands of evacuees from Afghanistan as part of Operation Allies Refuge.
Image: Airman Edgar Grimaldo/AP/picture alliance
Life under Taliban rule
Burqa-clad Afghan women shop at a market in Kabul on August 23 — days after the Taliban's takeover of the country. The International Organization for Migration issued an urgent appeal for $24 million to help support the more than 5 million people displaced in Afghanistan and living in "extremely precarious" conditions.
Image: Hoshang Hashimi/AFP
Safe passage
A US Marine escorts a child to his family during the evacuation operation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on August 24, 2021. US President Joe Biden confirmed the United States will pull out all troops by August 31.
Image: Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/U.S. Marine Corps/Reuters
Thousands will be left behind
Even as thousands of people continued to gather at Kabul's airport, the US State Department warned Americans against traveling to the airport. Explosions later tore through an area just outside Hamid Karzai International Airport, killing scores of people. The acting US ambassador to Afghanistan said "there undoubtedly will be" some at-risk Afghans unable to leave the country.
Image: REUTERS
Exhausted from a harrowing escape
Many of those who managed to flee Afghanistan have reported mixed emotions, saying they feel lucky to have left safely but still despair over the fates of the thousands of people unable to escape from Taliban rule. This family was evacuated from Kabul and is headed to a US refugee processing center.
Image: Anna Moneymaker/AFP/Getty Images
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Border evacuation now inevitable
Maas is expected to take part in talks that will allow evacuees to get from the Afghanistan border to German embassies quickly and safely.
