A group of 67 Afghan citizens, employees of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) as well as their family members, arrived at the Skopje International Airport on Friday.

Continuing its active role as a solidarity country, Macedonia provided them with a temporary stay until leaving for a third country. This is part of an international operation to help a democratic Afghan population at risk from the Taliban.

After landing, the standard procedure with security check and protection and PCR test was performed. The civilians will be temporarily housed in Skopje, and the costs will be fully covered by international organizations.

There are currently 579 Afghan citizens residing in Macedonia to whom the institutions provide the necessary support and assistance. So far, 141 civilians have left the country, to whom several countries around the world have provided permanent residence.