All Afghan citizens who are expected to be evacuated from Afghanistan to Albania will receive temporary protection status by the Albanian state for a period of one year from the moment of entry. This is what the government decided on Wednesday on those people who are leaving Kabul after the Taliban took power following the withdrawal of the US and NATO troops from that country.
According to the law, the individual with the status of temporary protection cannot be deported, returned, or extradited outside the territory of Albania.
The government has also created a Task Force made up of seven ministers which will be headed by Foreign Minister Olta Xhacka. The ministries of Interior, Defense, Education, Finance, Economy, Health and Tourism will all jointly manage the work for the flow of requests for international protection of Afghans and stateless persons with temporary or permanent residence in Afghanistan. The established task force will negotiate with international partners on all issues related to this decision.
Prime Minister Edi Rama has stated that Afghans will not be sheltered in special camps as he says this is inhumane. The number of expected refugees has not been confirmed, with figures ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. But it is reported that the first group will total about 350 persons.
It is also not clear when they will arrive as their arrival has been postponed many times due to the turbulent situation in Kabul, it is reported.
The first group of the refugees will settle down in Tirana and Durres. / argumentum.al
