Romanian military aircraft takes over Romanian national from Kabul airport

A Romanian Air Force military aircraft landed safely at Kabul International Airport, where it took over a Romanian citizen, an employee of a NATO agency. "The inter-institutional task force, which continued to work 24/7 to ensure the evacuation of Romanian nationals who have expressed their option to be repatriated from Afghanistan, informs that a first flight to Kabul by a Romanian military aircraft took was a success , and it managed to evacuate a Romanian national. The Romanian Air Force's military aircraft landed safely at Kabul International Airport at night. In addition to the aircraft's military personnel, a mobile consular team of the Foreign Ministry (MAE) was also on board, ready to provide special assistance. Taken over to the board at this stage were a Romanian national, an employee of a NATO agency, already at the international airport in Kabul, who was opted for evacuation," according to a MAE press statement released on Thursday. According to MAE, the particularly difficult and dangerous security conditions in Kabul meant that access of other groups of Romanian nationals to the airport could not be achieved until the presence of the Romanian aircraft at the airport, although there was such a prospect. "It should also be noted that access to the airport is hampered by check-in procedures at various checkpoints and the high number of people interested in arriving at the airport, while entering the airport is itself a complex process. In fact there are other nationals of other European or NATO member states who could not get to the airport to be picked up by the aircraft sent by their governments. Given that most of the Romanian nationals having opted for evacuation are in locations outside the international airport, the Interinstitutional Task Force has taken complex steps, through specific channels, to ensure their transfer to the airport. The Interinstitutional Task Force also maintains permanent contact with Romanian nationals in various locations in Kabul," according to MAE. After taking over the Romanian national, the aircraft took off for Islamabad, where it arrived safely, being assisted on arrival by the staff of the Romanian Embassy in Pakistan. AGERPRES (RO - author: Dana Piciu, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Cristina Zaharia)