Slovenia among the first to safely evacuate its citizens from the Middle East

Prime Minister and Foreign Minister welcomed evacuated passengers from the Middle East | Author Bor Slana/STA

With a total of nine charter flights, the Government brought citizens home safely within the shortest possible amount of time despite the uncertain and unstable conditions. According to data collected by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, 912 Slovenian citizens, 146 citizens of EU member states and other countries were transported to safety (a total of 1,058).

Prime Minister Robert Golob emphasised at the conclusion of the evacuation that: "From the first day when the war spread to the Gulf states, the Government acted quickly and decisively with a single goal - to bring our citizens home safely and as soon as possible in these uncertain and dangerous circumstances. The situation was extremely tense and changed from hour to hour, which made the coordination of all evacuation activities exceptionally demanding. Without the support of our friends in Jordan and the Gulf states, we would not have succeeded. Their swift and invaluable assistance reflects the close, friendly relations the Government has built over the past four years.

I would like to thank the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, and her team, the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in Abu Dhabi, Natalia Al Mansour, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in Cairo, Sašo Podlesnik, as well as the teams on the ground and colleagues in ministries and government services who, with extraordinary dedication, responsibility and superhuman effort, managed the evacuation in the areas of Dubai, Oman, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The evacuation was extremely successful, as we safely returned nearly a thousand citizens to their families and friends within one week."

Slovenia also assisted other European countries during the evacuation. With our charter flights, we transported 146 foreign nationals from numerous European countries to safety, including France, Croatia, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina and others. The Republic of Slovenia requested international assistance in returning Slovenian citizens home from volatile areas in the Middle East. Assistance was also requested through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) in the form of co-financing evacuation transport costs.

The consular service of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs will continue to assist in organising the return of individual Slovenian citizens from crisis areas, but within the framework of EU consular cooperation. In such cases, the state does not cover the costs of organising flights.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs continues to advise against travel to crisis areas.

For additional support for Slovenian citizens, the Call Centre 114 remains available. Citizens abroad, as well as their family members and friends at home, can obtain key information by calling the toll-free number 114 from Slovenia or +386 1 478 5000from abroad. The Call Centre 114 will also be available on Sunday, 8 March, between 8:00 and 22:00.