French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday said that there is a “collective moral responsibility” to evacuate Afghan allies from Kabul before Biden’s self-imposed Aug. 31 deadline to withdraw the remaining U.S. troops.
“The head of state emphasized our collective moral responsibility toward the Afghan men and women who need our protection and who share our values,” a readout of the call released by the French government read. “We cannot abandon them.”
The Élysée said Macron in his conversation with Biden “underlined the absolute need to ensure rapid and concrete coordination among allies on the ground to continue the evacuations.”
The White House’s version of the call doesn’t include Macron’s mention of a “moral responsibility” to evacuate Afghan allies, but notes that the two world leaders lauded the “tireless efforts” of their personnel working closely together in Kabul on the evacuation of their citizens, “the brave Afghans who have stood by us and our NATO partners, and other vulnerable Afghan nationals.”
“They underscored the importance of continued close coordination among allies and democratic partners on Afghanistan, including through multilateral fora, on the provision of humanitarian assistance and support for refugees,” the White House description said.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the White House for comment.
The call between the two leaders on the issue comes as Biden faces growing criticism amid reported chaos and occasional violence outside Kabul’s international airport, ahead of the president’s deadline to withdraw the remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Many vulnerable Afghans fear a vengeful crackdown by the Taliban terrorist group and are voicing desperate pleas not to be left behind.
The Pentagon has said that the U.S. military will fly up to 30,000 people out of Kabul, including embassy personnel, U.S. citizens, Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants, and other at-risk individuals.
