Finland closes embassy in Kabul sine die

The Finnish government late Sunday night decided to close down its embassy in Afghanistan until further notice following the deteriorating law and order situation there, said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a press release on Monday.

The diplomatic staff of the mission is being evacuated from the country. The government said 18 Finnish people, including diplomats and embassy staff, have left the Afghan capital by the afternoon.

The closure of the mission means that it is not open to the public and that its normal activities have been suspended.

Earlier, the Finnish embassy in Kabul in its official twitter page announced on Sunday evening that it suspended consular services from Monday.

The embassy urged the Finnish nationals living in Afghanistan to communicate with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs either by email or over phone call for emergency services.

Earlier, on 6 August, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs urged all Finnish citizens to leave the country.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has been in contact with Finnish citizens and foreigners with a permanent residence in Finland who have submitted their travel plans to Afghanistan.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will assist those who have requested consular assistance as far as possible.

Finnish citizens in Afghanistan are urged contact the 24/7 Service Centre of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs primarily by e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone on +358 9 1605 5555.

However, preparations for the evacuation of Finnish citizens and the operation based on the Government decision on the transport of Afghans who have worked for Finland will continue in cooperation with other authorities.