We have not let up in our efforts to get people out of Afghanistan to safety – either by air or by road. Today, a further 217 Afghan men and women are due to arrive in Germany on a charter flight from Pakistan, more than 20 of whom will then travel on to other EU states. With the help of Qatar, it has also been possible during the last few days to fly out others, mostly German nationals, and further options are in the pipeline. Those with approval for admission to Germany from the German Government who arrive by road in neighbouring countries will be granted a visa without delay by our embassies, which will help them to travel on to Germany. More than 760 people have already been assisted in this way.

Leaving Afghanistan remains arduous and dangerous. Many options depend on the consent of both the Taliban and neighbouring countries. Nevertheless, we have already been able to help almost 900 people to leave Afghanistan since the end of the military evacuation.

We will create further ways for people to leave the country in the coming weeks. We will keep working on this until all those for whom we bear a special responsibility in Afghanistan – Germans, local employees and others whom we have agreed to take in – are in safety.