Foreign Minister Allamand referred to the case of the young journalism student in Kabul, Parwin Dawari, who managed to leave Afghanistan for Spain, where she is today waiting for her trip to Chile.
However, in Chile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said that “I do not know the particular case, but I can tell you that this has not been the conduct that the Foreign Ministry has had in the rest of the cases.”
Allamand explained that “NGOs (which manage the refugee situation) are of different nature and formulate different requirements. We check the background and do everything in our power to make it easier for them to come to Chile.”
He added that “the policy we’ve had has been particularly proactive. I have made personal contact with the sister of the student from the University of Chile and we are doing everything possible so that her sister can reach our country.”
Asked about the government’s support for refugees, “we do it ourselves in those places where we have diplomatic missions, and where we don’t have an embassy, we do it through our friendly countries,” he said.
The case has not been without controversy and the communist deputy Marisela Santibáñez said that the situation “is not only unusual … It is inhumane, the worst face of a government that does not represent the people of Chile, Minister Allamand,” he said, “I hope you will be summoned to the women’s commission to explain this mistake… Sorry I meant HORROR.”
Deputy Jaime Naranjo (PS), president of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Chamber, said that he will contact the Foreign Ministry “to see how effective that (Dawari’s situation) is and see what background exists to see if it is possible that our country can make arrangements for his return to Chile.”
“I don’t have all the background,” he acknowledged, “but if I had to pay him the tickets, it would be unfortunate if the government gave economic reasons to facilitate the departure of this person from Afghanistan. It would be justified to pay him the ticket and sarilla from there.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Pablo Vidal (Independent and former president of Nuevo Trato) said that “the response of this Government is that the ticket is paid alone. Another international embarrassment of this government.”
