DUTCH FM SIGRID KAAG RESIGNS OVER AFGHANISTAN CRISIS

Fri 17 September 2021:

Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag resigned Thursday after lawmakers formally condemned her handling of the Afghanistan evacuation crisis.

“The House considers that the government has acted irresponsibly. And although I stand by our commitment, I can only accept the consequences of this judgement as the minister with ultimate responsibility,” Kaag said in a statement to parliament.

Kaag said there has been an “intense and intensive” debate about the evacuations from Afghanistan. She said she supports the efforts of the past period, but believes that she cannot continue in her position. She emphasized that the ministry will continue to work to evacuate people from Afghanistan.

“In my view on democracy and culture of our governance, the minister should go if the policy is disapproved,” she said. Earlier this year when Prime Minister Mark Rutte was censured by the lower house of Parliament, Kaag also suggested she thought he should resign.

Kaag joined the Cabinet in October 2017 as Minister for Foreign Trade and Development. She became Minister of Foreign Affairs on May 24 of this year because her predecessor, Stef Blok, was shifted to the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Before entering politics, she worked in Syria and Lebanon for a number of United Nations organizations.

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