COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Monday hoped that all those who possess travel authorisation from other countries would be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to the points of departure and travel out of Afghanistan.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that it continues to monitor the developments in the war-torn country and remains concerned about the situation, including its humanitarian aspect.
"Sri Lanka hopes that all those who possess travel authorisation from other countries will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to the points of departure and travel out of Afghanistan," the ministry said.
Sri Lanka has been facilitating, with the assistance of its international partners, evacuation of its citizens from Afghanistan.
"As of 30th August, 66 Sri Lankans have been evacuated and 7 more remain to be evacuated while 21 Sri Lankans have opted to remain in Afghanistan for the time being," the statement added.
In its first reaction to the Taliban taking control of Afghanistan in mid-August, Sri Lanka expressed hope that the group would honour all its pledges made since the takeover.
Sri Lanka was happy to note that the Taliban has offered an amnesty and promised not to harm any foreigners and requests the Taliban to continue honouring that commitment, the statement said.
Sri Lanka also urged the Taliban to keep its pledge that women are allowed to work and girls can go to school.
The Sri Lankan call for the safety of those leaving came as the August 31 deadline for evacuations agreed between the Taliban and the US administration drew close.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.
This forced Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country to the UAE.