Following the closure of the airspace of Gulf countries due to the ongoing military escalation in the Middle East, urgent measures have been launched to evacuate Azerbaijani citizens stranded there.

Axar.az informs according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Azerbaijani diplomatic missions in the Gulf countries have compiled lists of citizens for evacuation based on the instructions given to them.

Preliminary data show that around 1,000 Azerbaijani citizens across five countries have sought evacuation: 490 in the UAE, 220 in Saudi Arabia, 200 in Qatar, 23 in Bahrain and 26 in Kuwait.

The Foreign Ministry said that in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of the primary tourism destinations for Azerbaijani citizens, particularly in Dubai, flights on the Dubai–Baku route resumed after the partial reopening of the UAE airspace as a result of negotiations between Azerbaijan’s Consulate General and the airline FlyDubai. Through flights operated between March 3 and 5, a total of 755 Azerbaijani citizens returned to the country. Given that the UAE airspace has once again been closed, necessary planning measures are currently being undertaken to repatriate the remaining Azerbaijani citizens

The ministry reported that, Saudi Arabia, the second main evacuation route, saw a special Azerbaijan Airlines flight on March 4 bring 193 Azerbaijani citizens from Jeddah back to Azerbaijan, along with 9 Azerbaijani citizens of Georgian nationality and 5 of Russian nationality, totaling 207 evacuees. Additionally, Azerbaijani citizens registered in Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia were transported by buses arranged by Azerbaijan`s diplomatic missions to Jeddah and evacuated on March 7 via AZAL’s Jeddah–Baku flight, with 203 individuals returning to Azerbaijan, including 2 Azerbaijani citizens of Russian nationality and 1 of Georgian nationality.

In order to facilitate the unhindered land entry of Azerbaijani citizens located in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan adopted a decision and issued directives to the relevant state agencies. So far, 300 Azerbaijani citizens have crossed from Iran to Azerbaijan by land.

The ministry stated that the situation in the region is closely being monitored and required steps are taken to facilitate the evacuation of citizens.