US ‘enormously grateful’ to Georgia, other countries for assisting in evacuation efforts from Afghanistan
Victoria Nuland has spoken about the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban's capture of the country. Photo: Shot from the Department of State video
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United States Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said the US is ‘enormously grateful to the huge network of countries that have provided critical assistance’ for their evacuation efforts from Afghanistan, including Georgia.
We’re enormously grateful to the huge network of countries that have provided critical assistance for our evacuation efforts, partners and allies – Bahrain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and others – who have helped transit Americans and others to safety”, Ambassador Nuland said at a recent press briefing.
She also said that as this ongoing evacuation and relocation operation continues, 123,000 people have been enabled to leave Afghanistan, including 6,000 American citizens and tens of thousands of at-risk Afghans.
Watch the entire press briefing:
Live now! @UnderSecStateP Victoria Nuland delivers remarks to the press on Afghanistan, to be followed by a press briefing with @StateDeptSpox Ned Price. https://t.co/rDGpmqMqEk
— Department of State (@StateDept) September 1, 2021
Ambassador Nuland said the close coordination of the US with its allies and partners ‘remains critical both on evacuation and relocation’.
A total of 24 Georgian citizens, all former soldiers who worked for Canadian and American companies, have been evacuated from Kabul following the Taliban’s capture of Afghanistan.
860 Georgian soldiers will start leaving Afghanistan in May as the US and NATO will begin withdrawing their troops from the country after two decades of war.NATO allies agreed on Wednesday, according to US plans, to start removing troops by May 1.The pull-out is to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the US by jihadist organization al-Qaida.
The last sixteen Georgian citizens remaining in Kabul following the Taliban’s capture of Kabul on August 15 have been evacuated from the country. The IPN news agency has cited the Georgian Foreign Ministry as saying that the individuals have been evacuated via a British charter flight. The agency said that the British plane will land in Dubai and the individuals will be able to return to Georgia from Dubai later today.
Six Georgian citizens, who worked for a US company in Afghanistan, have been evacuated from the country via a Hungarian charter flight, the Georgian Foreign Ministry has reported. The Georgian citizens, who were trying to flee the country after the Taliban seized control of Kabul on August 15, have already landed in Tbilisi. Sixteen other Georgian citizens remain in Afghanistan currently and the Georgian Foreign Ministry says they are doing ‘their utmost’ to ensure their safe return.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry and the administration of the government of Georgia are working in coordination to ensure the safe return of several Georgian citizens who are now in Afghanistan, after the Taliban seized control of Kabul yesterday and crowds are trying to flee the country. The Georgian Foreign Ministry said yesterday that the Georgian citizens, who were contract employees in Afghanistan, contacted them yesterday and ‘we have instantly begun taking actions to help them.’
Finland, Sweden and Norway have expressed their gratitude to Georgia for ensuring safe and swift transit for their citizens evacuated from Afghanistan via Tbilisi International Airport after the Taliban took control of Kabul in mid-August.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has thanked US congressmen for their support of Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations at a meeting earlier today, the Georgian government administration reports. Five US Congressmen – Bryan George Steil, Carol Devine Miller, Alex Mooney, Ronald Jean Estes and Kelly Michael Armstrong – have arrived in Georgia today and their visit will last till September 9. The US support for strengthening institutions in Georgia, increasing defence capabilities, and democratic reforms were on the agenda of the meeting.
United States Deputy Assistant Secretary Erika Olson has arrived in Tbilisi as part of her trip to the South Caucasus. During the meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili earlier today, Olson hailed Georgia for assisting the US in evacuation efforts from Afghanistan.
US State Secretary Antony Blinken has thanked Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani for Georgia’s contribution to peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reports.