The current President of the United Nations General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, has defended the previous German government’s program for the relocation of Afghan nationals. Speaking to “Bild am Sonntag” Baerbock emphasized the international responsibility stemming from the situation in Afghanistan, where women and girls face systematic rights violations and individuals who collaborated with the United Nations and the German Bundeswehr are reportedly facing threats to their safety.
“If we, as the international community, acknowledge the situation in Afghanistan, where women and girls have had their rights taken away and where people who have worked for the UN and for the German Bundeswehr are fearing for their lives, then there’s an international responsibility to provide protection” Baerbock stated. “Based on that understanding, the previous government made a decision which we stand by.
The defense comes in response to recent comments from Johann Wadephul (CDU), her successor as Foreign Minister, who characterized the number of relocation pledges as “a wrong decision”.