After the German government announced it would allow the first German tourists from the Gulf of Persia war zone to leave, members of the Green and Left factions in the Bundestag criticized Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s handling of the situation.
Luise Amtsberg, a Green foreign‑policy spokesperson, told the “Funke Mediengruppe” newspapers on Tuesday: “What we are seeing in the Middle East now is an escalation that has been a possible scenario for weeks. The fact that the government still appears unprepared and overwhelmed in this acute danger situation is shocking”.
She added that protecting citizens is a core responsibility of the federal government: “Announcing on the third day after the outbreak of the war that the government only wants to evacuate a few vulnerable groups from the region is not enough”.
The criticism also came from Cansu Özdemir, the foreign‑policy spokesperson for the Left faction. “The government’s crisis communication is inadequate” she said. “With Foreign Minister Wadephul’s current statement – that only older people, children, the ill and the pregnant should be evacuated first – the government is creating more uncertainty”.
In this context, careful and prudent action is essential. “The government is failing to do so” Özdemir added. “We must present evacuation plans for all around 30,000 people as soon as possible”.
