The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MZVEZ) has registered approximately 5,000 Slovak citizens currently in the Middle East who have signed up on its website requesting assistance. All of them are seeking to return to Slovakia, but according to Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer-SD), transporting everyone is not possible due to capacity limits. Repatriation flights will primarily focus on mothers with children and sick individuals, while others are asked for patience. He announced this at a press conference on Monday.
“We are monitoring everyone who registers and urging them to state their condition so we can assess situations that may be critical. These are the cases we want to prioritize in evacuation flights, whether mothers with children or sick individuals who need to be relocated quickly,” the minister said.
He called on other citizens in the crisis region to first contact their travel agencies, which are contractually obliged to assist clients in such situations. If travel agencies encounter problems, citizens are advised to contact the ministry’s crisis center. “We are not able to evacuate everyone; the numbers are so high that it is simply beyond our capacity. Therefore, we will negotiate so that airlines and travel agencies can gradually begin transporting citizens once the airspace reopens,” Blanár explained.
He also urged all citizens to remain patient and follow instructions in risk areas, recommending that those who have not yet done so register on the ministry’s website. The ministry currently records 3,100 registered Slovak citizens in the United Arab Emirates, 488 in Oman, 352 in Qatar, 213 in Jordan, 133 in Israel, 48 in Kuwait, seven in Lebanon, and three in Bahrain. Blanár stated that the ministry has reinforced its international crisis center, which is available to Slovak citizens around the clock, and confirmed a surge in contacts in recent days.
Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) confirmed at the same press conference that government aircraft from the Interior Ministry and planes of the Ministry of Defence are ready at the airport to depart for Slovak citizens as soon as the flight zone reopens. “We are also communicating with the Czech Republic to join forces. We can help them, and they can help us. All aircraft are available, and the large-capacity ones can take off immediately to assist our people,” the prime minister added.
He praised cooperation with partners and the work of the Foreign Ministry’s crisis center, which he visited on Monday, stressing that the Slovak government has no other means of assistance in the conflict. He expressed solidarity with countries targeted by Iranian retaliatory actions and reiterated that Slovakia considers the attack by the United States and Israel a violation of international law.
The Interior Ministry announced on Monday that it will organize at least three repatriation flights this week—two from Amman, Jordan, and one from Muscat, Oman.
On Saturday (February 28), the United States and Israel launched coordinated air and missile strikes on Iranian military and strategic targets, including leadership headquarters in Tehran. Explosions were also reported in other cities such as Qom, Isfahan, and Kermanshah.
Iran responded with massive retaliatory missile and drone attacks on targets in Israel and on U.S. military facilities in several Middle Eastern countries.
As a result, air traffic in the region has been significantly restricted or completely suspended.
Source: TASR
