Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said
Tuesday that Italy managed to get almost 5,000 Afghans out
before the Taliban took back total control of the country.
"In the space of a few days we saved and transferred to Italy
5,011 people, including 4,890 Afghans," Di Maio told the Senate
as he reported on the situation in Afghanistan after a tour of
the region that took in Qatar, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and
Pakistan.
"Over half of them were women and children and they were people
who cooperated with the Italian institutions and belong to
vulnerable groups.
"The airbridge conducted thanks to cooperation between all the
allies brought a total of over 120,000 people out of
Afghanistan, including whole families.
"Italy is the European country that evacuated the highest number
of Afghan citizens".
He reiterated that Italy, which holds the duty presidency of the
G20, wants to hold an extraordinary G20 summit on Afghanistan
and the aftermath of the Taliban's return to power, saying this
could be preceded by preparatory meetings of foreign ministers.
He stressed that Italy wants to "remain at the side of the
Afghan people" and said the government was considering having a
joint presence in Kabul, primarily of a consular nature, with
its international partners under the umbrella of the EU or the
UN.
He said the situation at the Afghan border was under control
when he visited it during his time in Pakistan but said that
there was the risk of an economic and food crisis coming in
winter causing a big increase in the flow of refugees.
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