Two state repatriation flights have brought more than 100 Slovak citizens and three Czech nationals back to Slovakia from the Middle East, Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas-SD), Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer-SD) and Foreign Ministry State Secretary Marek Eštok told a press conference after the planes landed on Tuesday.
Both the Spartan military aircraft and the government Airbus transported people from Jordan. Šutaj Eštok announced that the Interior and Defence Ministries are preparing further flights for this week.
"A total of ten repatriation flights have been approved to date. Six of these are being handled by the Interior Ministry's air fleet. The other four are being provided by the Defence Ministry," said Šutaj Eštok, adding that the ministry is prepared to increase the number.
According to him, the pressure on the Foreign Affairs Ministry is great and it is not possible to evacuate every Slovak national back to the country via a government repatriation flight. "I want to guarantee that we'll do our utmost to help as many people as possible until the no-fly zone currently in place over the affected area is lifted and Slovaks are able to return to the Slovak Republic on standard commercial flights," he said.
The defence minister pointed out that the state is currently facing problems in obtaining overflight permits. Due to security risks in these countries, air traffic is restricted. The ministry has moved its military aircraft to Cyprus, from where they can respond more flexibly.
"For all those who are in the Emirates, the basic rule applies that unless the airspace is open, it isn't possible to enter it, while the United Arab Emirates itself takes care of tourists and ensures their safety," added Kaliňák.
Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) posted late Tuesday (3 March) that a further repatriation flight is scheduled to depart from Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday (4 March), while additional flights are planned from Muscat, Oman, and again from Jordan for Thursday (5 March).
On Tuesday Parliamentary Chair Richard Raši (Hlas-SD), received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Slovak Republic, Walid Mohamed Ismail Mahmoud. The central topic of the meeting was the current security situation in the Middle East and cooperation in the repatriation of Slovak citizens from areas affected by the conflict in Iran.
Raši informed that Slovakia is communicating with all relevant partners about the situation in the Middle East. In this context, he asked the Egyptian side for cooperation in practical logistical measures, in particular for consent to repatriation flights of the government evacuation airplane through Egypt. Ambassador Mahmoud assured the Chairman of the National Council of the Slovak Republic that the Egyptian side will fully cooperate in ensuring the necessary conditions related to assistance to Slovak citizens. The talks also touched on the broader regional context and Egypt's role in stabilizing the region.
On Saturday (28 February), the United States and Israel launched coordinated massive military action against Iran, killing, among others, the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran responded with retaliatory missile and drone attacks on Israel and countries in the Persian Gulf. Air traffic in the region has been significantly restricted or even halted.
Source: TASR
