Mohammad Nabi karimi
As US and NATO forces begin their withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Afghan Foreign Ministry has announced that the Australian Government has temporarily closed its embassy in Kabul due to security concerns.
“The Australian government has decided to close its embassy in Kabul due to security concerns temporarily,” the Afghan Foreign Ministry wrote in a press release on Tuesday (5/25/2021). “The Afghan Foreign Ministry is aware of this decision and respects the choice of Australia to close its embassy in Kabul temporarily due to security concerns.”
“We welcome Australia’s renewed commitment to continue its support and assistance to Afghanistan, and its commitment to combating terrorism, establishing peace and stability in Afghanistan, and continuing strategic cooperation between the two countries,” the statement added. “We know the importance of Australia’s political presence in Afghanistan.”
The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes that the Australian Government will reconsider its interim action soon. The permanent presence of the Australian Embassy in Kabul will continue as before, following international law and international conventions and within the framework of agreements with friendly governments. Afghanistan is committed to ensuring the security of political missions and protecting foreign diplomatic personnel residing in Kabul.
Australia is the first country to temporarily close its embassy in Kabul due to security threats, following a US-NATO decision to withdraw international troops from Afghanistan. The withdrawal of US and NATO troops begins on May 1 and is expected to be completed by the September 11 of this year.
In addition to its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, Australia has also had a military presence. Australian troops were stationed in Uruzgan, and in 2014 the country decided to withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan; Meanwhile, some sources say that with the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, the political representations of friendly countries in Kabul are questioning their security as the Afghan Government has provided the security assurance.
