Dutch Foreign Minister leaves office for managing evacuations from Afghanistan

Sigrid Kaag, the acting Dutch foreign minister, left office on Thursday after being disapproved by Congress after the chaotic evacuation of the translators and other Afghan staff who worked for the Netherlands until the entry of the Taliban into Kabul. . Negotiations for a new coalition have entered their sixth month with no exit in sight, and Kaag, who leads the left-wing liberals, is an essential figure for the future Cabinet. His party (D66) came in second place in last March's elections, and without his group there is no agreement possible. For now, he has assured that he will continue with the formation of the Government. Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld has received the same disapproval, but has declined to leave her post for now.He assures that he wants to bring the Afghans who are still trapped in his country.

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• Criticism of the Dutch Government for the slowness of the evacuation in Afghanistan

The Dutch Executive has been in office since January when it resigned en bloc due to the family aid scandal. Now, the lack of vision in dealing with the fate of the Afghan civilians who collaborated with their troops has marked both ministers. On August 11, just five days before the arrival of the Taliban in Kabul, the Executive decided that it would not deport asylum seekers to Afghanistan without permission to remain in the Netherlands. The stoppage was planned for six months, but the rapid Taliban advance embarrassed the rulers. Both Kaag and Bijleveld have defended themselves against criticism from the House by saying that it was unpredictable that things would rush in such a way. That they did not have material time to organize evacuations.During the parliamentary debate, it became known that the Dutch embassy in Kabul had been asking for a plan for months to remove the Afghans who were on their official lists. The reproaches to the official slowness and bureaucratic obstacles have been constant, and Kaag has alleged that there was "a blind spot, a dark area" that they did not see, "but neither did other countries with Afghans who had to be evacuated."

"It has surprised even themselves, and we do not assess well the risks to the security of the airport in the capital of Afghanistan," said the former foreign minister on the speed with which the Taliban took Kabul. "On the other hand, our dependence on the United States, which was in command there, has had a negative effect on the operation," he added. Kaag has apologized, but in the end he has found himself in his own mirror. Last April, he supported a motion of disapproval against the acting prime minister, Mark Rutte, who lost it. In his case, it was because he allegedly lied during the negotiations for the new government coalition.

Kaag said that she would leave to meet in that position.

This is what has happened, and the pill is very bitter to him because he comes from a career in diplomacy and in the United Nations.

The Netherlands now has a sitting prime minister and a former foreign minister disapproved of by Congress, leading the talks to form a new government.

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