British Prime Minister Boris Johnson stressed, today, Wednesday, that his country has an “enduring commitment” to the Afghan people and that it will respect them.
Johnson said on Twitter that a new scheme to resettle a number of Afghans in The United Kingdom will “create a safe and legal pathway for those most in need to come and live safely in the United Kingdom.” Afghan refugees, including 5,000 in the first year, in a decision that came in the wake of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
Johnson said in a statement to the Ministry of the Interior We are indebted to all those who have worked with us to make Afghanistan a better place over the past twenty years, many of whom, especially women, desperately need our help. The mechanism to help them and their families live safely in Britain.”
The new mechanism announced by Johnson aims in the first year to 5,000 Afghan citizens are “threatened by the current crisis”, especially women, girls and religious minorities, according to the Ministry of Interior.
Afghani women protested yesterday in Kabul to demand the Taliban respect their rights
The government did not specify when it would complete receiving twenty thousand Afghans, noting only that this matter would be done in the “long term.”
But this mechanism is reminiscent of a program dedicated to receiving Syrian refugees, and allowed the accommodation of 20,000 Syrian refugees. Over the course of seven years from 2014 to 2021.
In the face of the rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground in Afghanistan as the Taliban seized power, criticism was drawn, including in Johnson’s British Conservative Party, of his administration
Johnson discussed with US Presidents Joe Biden, French Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel the situation in Afghanistan, and called for adopting a “unified approach” regarding this file. (Johnson and Biden have agreed to organize a virtual G7 summit on Afghanistan next week.
