Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag resigned from office on Thursday evening after parliament reprimanded the government for evacuating Kabul. The majority of the Second Chamber supported a motion of disapproval against the entire cabinet. This emphasized the special responsibility of the Foreign Minister for ensuring that Afghan local staff and their relatives had been brought to safety "too lightly and too late, despite repeated warnings by the staff". The leader of the left liberals should not have resigned because of the reprimand, but said that in her view "a minister must leave if his policy is rejected". Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld, on the other hand, remained in office, even though she was criticized even more severely.Kaag's office is temporarily taken over by her party friend Tom de Bruijn.

Thomas Gutschker

Political correspondent for the European Union, NATO and the Benelux countries based in Brussels.

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MEPs ’anger was sparked by the fact that the government failed to comply with multiple calls by parliament to fly Afghan interpreters and their families out early.

The government held talks about it and decided on July 9 to initiate the evacuation "if the situation worsens".

However, a French offer to take people on a flight was turned down in mid-July.

The newspaper De Volkskrant also revealed documents that document how the responsible ministries blocked measures until the fall of Kabul. As early as March and again in May, the embassy in Kabul urged that its Afghan aid workers be brought to safety, including sixty relatives who did not belong to the nuclear family. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only wanted to fly out three people and left the choice to the ambassador - which she refused. It was not until August 14, shortly before the Taliban invaded Kabul, that The Hague agreed to a comprehensive evacuation. The Netherlands then flew around 2000 people. But at least 22 interpreters and their families stayed behind. Hundreds of other people who have worked for the country may be at risk;the government does not have a clear picture of the situation.

Kaag's resignation does not make the already difficult government formation in the Netherlands any easier. After all options for a majority government have failed in six months of explorations, Prime Minister Mark Rutte remains only a minority government, to which the Kaag-led D66 party must definitely belong. Rutte regretted Kaag's resignation and praised her as a "globally respected foreign minister". He wants to continue talks with her about a new cabinet, she remains the party leader. But now both politicians - the winners of the parliamentary elections in March - are burdened by parliamentary motions for disapproval. Rutte had been reprimanded in April, but remained in office.