In an interview with Sitel TV, Zoran Zaev announced that his Government is ready to accept as many as 1,800 refugees from Afghanistan.

Zaev already committed to take 450 people, after consultations with the US authorities and NDI. These are mainly people who worked with the US forces in Afghanistan, and who are applying for asylum in the US, but need a safe haven while the applications are processed.

Our capacity is in the thousands, or rather, between 1,200 and 1,800. Albania will take between 2,000 and 3,000 people. We confirmed 450 so far, and we are discussing to take in 70 more of the peacemakers and humanitarians, Zaev said.

The asylum seekers will be accommodated in hotels emptied by the pandemic. It’s expected that the US will pay for their accommodation.