Announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding an alleged breach of personal data by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (10.03.2026)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all its Diplomatic Missions abroad have been on constant alert since the beginning of the crisis to provide all possible assistance to Greek citizens affected by the war situation in the wider Middle East. The operation is unprecedented and extremely difficult, being the largest ever carried out from multiple war zones.

Since the outbreak of the war, on February 28, the employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been working day and night. In particular, the Duty Officer Service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to ensure the repatriation of all Greek citizens who wish to leave the crisis area, to the last one. In the last 24 hours alone, employees of the Duty Officer Service have made more than 3000 phone calls and received over 1500 emails.

After a daily, exhaustive assessment of security conditions, and taking into account that the airspace remains closed in the large majority of countries in the region, special repatriation flights are being scheduled continuously. The planning of each of them is carried out under overwhelming pressure, as a result of tight time frames for the safe operation of flights and instructions issued by foreign authorities that are constantly being adapted.

In one of the numerous outgoing emails in the context of organizing the next repatriation flights, the email addresses of the recipients became visible. There has been no intentional disclosure of personal information.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs attaches particular importance to ensuring the protection of personal data and will take appropriate action. However, targeting employees who carry out their work under extremely adverse conditions goes beyond acceptable boundaries. The main stake was and remains the safe return of Greek citizens who are in war zones.

March 10, 2026