The Green Party urged the German federal government to provide more active exit assistance for the thousands of Germans stranded in the region because of the Iran war.
Deborah Düring, the Greens’ parliamentary group spokesperson for foreign affairs, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that “Johann Wadephul capitulates before his own responsibility”. She criticized the government for saying it could do nothing, while Britain was already preparing concrete evacuations for its citizens. “Those who don’t implement emergency plans amid an escalation of this magnitude either did not prepare or failed to grasp the seriousness of the situation. Both are fatal” the MP said.
Düring added that a government taking its protection duty seriously must not leave its citizens abandoned in a crisis. Germany should immediately coordinate alternative exit routes and, in close cooperation with international partners, establish secure evacuation options.
Foreign Minister Wadephul had earlier offered no hope of evacuation or swift exit assistance to the tens of thousands of Germans stuck in the area because of the war. He said affected people were updated daily on the situation and possible options, noting that closed airspace makes regular and air‑evacuation routes impossible in many places. Travelers also bear personal responsibility for their safety and have accepted a certain risk, Wadephul added. His office, however, was in close contact with all airlines.
