Even while dozens of Macedonian citizens remain stranded in Kabul, the Zaev Government announced it will admit Afghan refugees and asylum seekers.

Macedonia withdrew its troops in July, but the number of Macedonians who work for private contractors in Afghanistan and have not evacuated yet is estimated at almost a 100.  Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani said that 25 Macedonian citizens who worked in Afghanistan are being evacuated from the country from the Kabul airport using an American plane. Additional 25 will be evacuated as soon as possible.

There are about 50 citizens who were at the Kabul airport this morning. Of them, 25 are at the army terminal and are registered to take the next flight organized by the American Army to Doha, Qatar. The rest will await the next flight. We are informed about another group of 25 more, who are close to the airport, in an American military base. They are safe and await transfer to the airport. We don’t know about other citizens in Afghanistan, and have no reports that any of them is being threatened. We will continue to closely monitor the situation, Osmani said.

Despite its failure to organize an evacuation of its own citizens, Macedonia quickly accepted the US request to house a still unclear number of asylum seekers, who will presumably be examined for future relocation to the US or elsewhere.