Dutch minister of foreign affairs steps down due to handling of Afghanistan evacuations

The Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sigrid Kaag, has decided to step down from her position due to heavy criticism of the Netherlands’ response to the fall of the Afghan city of Kabul.

Earlier this week, the NOS reported that the Dutch government had been receiving pleas to begin evacuation efforts from the Afghan city of Kabul since March 2020.

Dutch embassy staff in Afghanistan made pleas for the government to begin an evacuation plan as it became clear that the Taliban were advancing on the city.

READ MORE | Dutch still stranded in Afghanistan: government is “seriously concerned”

However, it was not until two days before the fall of the city that the Dutch government began to decide on when the embassy employees and their families would be evacuated.

As of last week, it was reported that approximately 22 interpreters and their families were left behind in Afghanistan by the end of evacuation efforts.

Responsible for this

As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kaag is seen as ultimately responsible for the Dutch response to the situation. As a result, a motion to censure Kaag was passed last night by the House of Representatives. After this, she immediately offered her resignation from the role.

Kaag, who is also the leader of D66 (Democrats 66) has been praised by many political parties within the House of Representatives for her decision. With Groenlinks leader, Jesse Klaver saying “Sigrid Kaag takes her responsibility for the Dutch actions in Afghanistan with her head held high”, the NOS reports.

Follow DutchReview on Facebook for the latest news and updates.

Feature Image: Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken/Wikimedia Commons/CC2.0

Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
Sarah O'Leary 🇮🇪
Before becoming the Senior Editor of DutchReview, Sarah was a fresh-faced international looking to learn more about the Netherlands. Since moving here in 2017, Sarah has added a BA in English and Philosophy (Hons.), an MA in Literature (Hons.), and over three years of writing experience at DutchReview to her skillset. When Sarah isn't acting as a safety threat to herself and others (cycling), you can find her trying to sound witty while writing about some of the stickier topics such as mortgages and Dutch law.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related posts

Latest posts

Dutch companies are “selling” residence permits via the highly skilled migrant scheme

The Netherlands employs its so-called Kennismigranten (highly skilled migrants) in many sectors, from IT to academia to... nail salons, apparently. Yup, according to research by...

Expats may soon have to take an integration course when living in Amsterdam

If you're an expat living in Amsterdam, you could soon be asked to take Dutch language classes, history lessons, and volunteer time. That's right,...

Getting internet in 2024: 7 questions about getting WiFi to your Dutch house

The internet makes the world go round — and naturally, you want excellent WiFi at your Dutch house. Whether you’re moving to the Netherlands or within...

It's happening

Upcoming events

The latest Dutch news.
In your inbox.