Slovak soldiers will assist in evacuating Slovaks from Jordan, Israel, and the Republic of Lebanon. The government on Wednesday approved the proposal for their deployment.
"The evacuation plan includes the deployment of two transport aircraft and the deployment of up to 50 members of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic," the Ministry of Defense (MO) of the Slovak Republic said.
On Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanár announced that repatriation flights from the Middle East region, coordinated by Slovak ministries, have been concluded for now. The Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry continues to monitor the situation and is ready to respond promptly to the situation if necessary.
"We've fulfilled all the requirements that have arisen as a result of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran at this point. We are ready to promptly address the crisis situation again within our capabilities," stated the minister, noting that Slovakia helped not only its own citizens to leave the conflict region, but also nationals of 24 other countries through its repatriation flights.
Slovak Travel Agencies Association president Roman Berkes in this context said that travel agencies are reacting to the situation in the given region. "Some planned stays and trips to Israel and Jordan have been cancelled. No changes had to be made in the cases of neighboring countries, such as Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, or Tunisia–trips and tours are still being planned. There's no reason to make any changes here for now," he said.
Representatives of the ministry and travel agencies at a press conference appealed for responsibility when planning summer holidays, and also recommended taking steps that would help Slovak authorities contact holiday-makers in case of need and emergency situations.
Source: TASR
