Verhagen welcomes release of Bulgarian medical workers

25 Jul 2024 | Foreign minister Maxime Verhagen has welcomed the release of the five Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor who had been imprisoned in Libya since 1999.

‘The European Union has always concerned itself with the fate of both the detainees and the HIV-infected Libyan children,’ said Verhagen. ‘I am very pleased that we have finally reached a solution. Cooperation between the EU and Libya can now enter a new phase.’

The Palestinian-born doctor, Ashraf al-Hazouz, who recently acquired Bulgarian citizenship, will probably come to the Netherlands to join his family. The Netherlands granted his family political asylum in 2005 at the request of the UN refugee organisation. The Netherlands has always actively supported the EU’s efforts to find a solution.