The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Olta Xhaçka, welcomed this morning at Rinas Airport the first plane arriving from Kabul with 121 Afghan citizens, also with the presence of the US Ambassador Yuri Kim.
Minister Xhaçka considered this as a very exciting moment, as she expressed relief for the arrival of the first contingent of Afghans, whose lives were in danger by the attack in Kabul.
“Every Albanian citizen should feel really proud today, that once again, as we have done in many cases in our history, Albanians are showing what the true spirit of this people is: solidarity, hospitality, generosity. These days have been very intensive, working hard to coordinate this humanitarian operation in record time. We have done everything to welcome and offer them the best and most dignified living conditions’- said the minister to the media after the arrival of the plane.
The Albanian Chief diplomat also inspected the temporary hosting center set up in the military zone, while appreciating the effective contribution of the Armed Forces, State Police, border police, doctors and nurses.
According to her, Albania has agreed to shelter about 4000 Afghans temporarily, while the first group that arrived today will be accommodated in a hotel in Durres.
Remember that Albania and Northern Macedonia, both NATO members, and Kosovo, agreed to a proposal by the administrator of US President Joe Biden to serve as transit countries for Afghan citizens, whose final destination is the USA.