Ministry for Foreign Affairs continues evacuations from Afghanistan to Finland

NordenBladet — Based on the decision to continue evacuations from Afghanistan, 37 Afghans were brought to Finland late on the evening of Thursday 10 February 2022. In addition, about 10 evacuees from Afghanistan will arrive in Finland in the next few weeks.The persons in the group that arrived in Finland are former locally employed staff members of the Embassy of Finland in Kabul and their family members, and Finnish citizens or foreign nationals residing permanently in Finland, who are covered by the Consular Services Act and who have been trying to leave Afghanistan since last August. They moved from Afghanistan to Pakistan a week before and came to Finland via Germany. The group was assisted by the Foreign Ministry’s posted consular rapid response team, which cooperated with Pakistani authorities and the German, Dutch and Nordic missions in Islamabad that were assisting their own evacuees via Pakistan.  The implementation of the Government decisions made in August 2021 concerning the evacuation of former locally employed staff of the Finnish mission will soon be completed. Work is continuing with regard to persons who are eligible for consular assistance but who are still staying in the country. In August 2021, the Government made three separate decisions to bring a total of 298 persons from Afghanistan to Finland. Finland continues close monitoring of developments in the security and human rights situation in Afghanistan in collaboration with the EU and the Nordic countries.