Croatia takes in 19 Afghan nationals

Croatia would decide in talks with partners whether to receive more Afghans, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman said on Sunday as nineteen Afghan nationals, who worked as support staff for the EU Delegation in Kabul, arrived at Zagreb Airport over the weekend.

The 19-member group consists of three families with children and one single person. They have all said that they intend to apply for international protection in Croatia, the interior ministry has reported.

The Afghan nationals had all been vetted prior to their employment with the EU Delegation. Croatia has responded to the appeal of the European External Action Service (EEAS) which called on EU members to take in EU staff from Afghanistan whose lives and security are threatened by the restoration of the Taliban regime.

The ministry’s immigration service is now in charge of the Afghan nationals. Since the group includes as many as 10 minors, it will be accommodated at a ministry facility for vulnerable groups.

The ministry said it would not provide further information on the immigrants for the sake of their security.

According to the head of the Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA), Daniel Markić, the current developments in Afghanistan would probably not impact the situation in Croatia even if a new migrant wave, unlike the one in 2015, however, could be expected.