Georgia Not Planning to Accept Refugees from Afghanistan, Says Foreign Ministry

Georgia is not planning to accept refugees from Afghanistan and the issue is not even being discussed. This was stated by Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandre Khvtisiashvili to journalists, according to jnews.ge.

The representative of the Foreign Ministry of Georgia was at Tbilisi Airport today, where a Hungarian plane brought back six Georgian citizens who had worked in Kabul under contract with an American company. The citizens, who returned on a special flight, were greeted by their relatives, the representative of the Foreign Ministry, and the head of the Georgian government administration, Ilya Darchiashvili.

Khvtisiashvili asserted that there are no Afghan refugees aboard the Hungarian plane that brought the Georgian citizens to Tbilisi. Along with the Georgians, the Hungarian plane evacuated several dozen citizens from European countries, who then traveled from Tbilisi to their respective nations.

“The Hungarian plane that arrived in Tbilisi did not bring any refugees. This flight also transported other people who have already left for their countries on other flights, all of whom are Europeans. Georgia is not planning to accept Afghan refugees; there is no discussion on this matter,” Khvtisiashvili stated.

The Foreign Ministry representative also clarified that there were 23 Georgian citizens in Afghanistan, and one of them is being evacuated not by the Georgian authorities but by the company he works for. “There were 22 Georgian citizens in Afghanistan. Afterward, information circulated that another Georgian was with them in a video posted online. The Foreign Ministry contacted him, offered him a place on this flight, but he stated that his departure had already been planned by the company he works for, and he will fly on that flight,” Khvtisiashvili said.

The Foreign Ministry representative noted that another 16 Georgian citizens remain in Kabul, and active efforts are being made to evacuate them. He emphasized that all of them are safe and sound, currently located in a secure area.

The main challenge remains the movement of Georgian citizens within Kabul and their safe transport to the airport due to the unstable and chaotic situation in Afghanistan. “Our 16 fellow citizens remain there, and we are actively working to get them from the city to the airport, which is already being secured by the armed forces of the USA, Great Britain, and Turkey. From there, their transport to Georgia by plane will take place. We are working with our partners on this direction. Partner countries plan to conduct dozens of flights from there, through which we can send our citizens. In parallel, we are also working on the notion of having Afghanistan accept a plane from Georgia. This is associated with certain difficulties, as the situation is chaotic and complicated, and if we manage to send a plane in the near future, they will arrive on it. If not, we will utilize the first opportunity available,” Khvtisiashvili added.