Slovakia has so far concluded a series of successful repatriations from the Middle East, including 17 evacuation flights. In the last two flights, a government special plane transported 177 people from Dubai to Bratislava on Tuesday and Wednesday, of which 134 were Slovak citizens. TASR was informed about this by the communication department of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MFA) of the Slovak Republic.
- Slovakia made seventeen repatriation flights home from the Middle East.
- During ten days, 811 people were evacuated, mostly citizens of Slovakia.
- Repatriations took place from Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Emirates.
- The Minister of the Interior described the operation as the most intensive repatriation operation in history.
- Several countries in the region are advised not to travel or leave the country.
In coordination with the Ministries of Defense and the Interior, the Department of Diplomacy transported a total of 811 persons, including 617 Slovenians and Slovaks, to Slovakia on 17 flights from Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for ten days. At the same time, 194 citizens of another 36 nationalities were brought to safety from the Slovak Republic on board government and military special vehicles.
“Repatriations from areas with extremely difficult wartime conditions were a great logistical and organizational challenge, which was managed mainly thanks to the close cooperation of the departments and the professional commitment of dozens of people. I thank our diplomats, crisis management workers, employees of Slovak embassies abroad, government squadrons and armed forces and others who worked non-stop, taking turns in extraordinary services to help citizens return home safely,” said Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Juraj Blanár.
A total of 85 citizens were on board the first ever repatriation flight from Dubai on Tuesday, of which 64 were Slovak citizens. The last 17th repatriation flight on Wednesday brought 92 people to Bratislava, including 73 Slovak citizens. Within two repatriations from the UAE, the Slovak Republic also helped citizens from 17 other countries. The Minister of the Interior of the SR Matúš Šutaj Eštok stated at Wednesday’s briefing at MR Štefánika Airport in Bratislava that these evacuation flights represented “the most intensive repatriation action” in the history of the Slovak Republic.
“Also from the point of view of the security situation, from the point of view of intensity, from the point of view of logistics, it was a very demanding operation,” explained Šutaj Eštok. He thanked the Aviation Department of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, the aviation staff, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Defense, employees of consular offices, embassies and other people who participated in the evacuation flights.
“It is a clear sign that we will not leave the people of the Slovak Republic at the mercy of the situation, which is absolutely heated in the world today, and that we will always take care of our citizens in such a way that we are able to protect them.” declared Šutaj Eštok.
“This repatriation campaign ends today, as even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no more reported repatriates who need to return from the territory of the Middle East… Of course, the squadron of the Ministry of the Interior is ready to respond to any other requests that may arise in the short future,” added the Minister of the Interior.
According to the MZVEZ, hundreds of Slovak citizens have decided to stay in the region of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf and remain in the records of the department’s registration system, or already they use the renewed flights of their travel agencies or airlines, which gradually began to operate in almost all countries.
According to currently available information, air routes are gradually being restored from the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as well as from holiday destinations in Southeast Asia. Qatar has partially closed airspace, Kuwait and Bahrain are completely closed, where it is not possible to organize even repatriation flights.
The MZVEZ continues to approach other requests for repatriation on an individual basis and advises citizens of the Slovak Republic to contact the International Operational Crisis Center of the MZVEZ SR at phone numbers +421 2 5978 5978 or +421 906 075 978, or at the email address mokc-mzv@mzv.sk. The emergency line is available 24 hours a day in all time zones.
At the same time, Slovak diplomacy continues to draw attention to valid travel recommendations for the countries of the Middle East. A level 3 travel advisory – no travel advice – applies to Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and a level 4 travel advice – advice to leave the country – applies to Iran and Israel.
All current travel recommendations are listed on the website of the Ministry i.mzv.sk/cestovanie, as well as on the websites of embassies in the section Travel/Notices and warnings before the trip.
