After the 26 Croatian citizens in Afghanistan we evacuated a few days ago the government has announced that Croatia will receive 20 Afghan citizens and their families.

The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman, said that Croatia would receive and issue visas for 20 Afghans and their families who were supporting Croatian troops in Afghanistan.

Minister Radman said that EU members had called for a lasting political solution for Afghanistan, and that he had personally stressed the importance of protecting the human rights of women and girls and the safety of local staff employed by the EU delegation in various jobs.

"Member States, including the Republic of Croatia, have expressed an advantage in providing humanitarian protection for the mentioned personnel. Croatia has especially responded to the call of the European External Action Service to accept EU personnel because their lives and security are endangered by the Taliban if they stay in Afghanistan,” stated Radman.

And he added that “We will be issuing visas to 20 people who have been supporting our forces and it is our obligation to protect them. They have passed all the checks and competitions for work in institutions, they are highly educated, they are well-known people in the systems of our institutions.”

Talking about the situation in Afghanistan the Minister commented that “It remains to be seen whether human rights will be respected,” he said. He also said that Croatia was just as worried about the new wave of migrants as Greece. "We do not want 2015 to happen again. We are entering Schengen and we must protect the EU borders from any illegal migration,” concluded Radman.