Azernews.Az

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) has evacuated 176 Azerbaijanis from neighboring countries to Baku on a charter plane due to the situation in Ukraine, Trend reported on March 1.

A plane carrying Azerbaijani citizens from Romania landed at Baku's Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the report added.

The first scheduled flight from Romania has already taken place, with the Turkish Tailwind company transporting 168 people to Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated on February 28 that due to the situation in Ukraine, Azerbaijani citizens are still being transferred from this country to neighboring Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

The ministry underlined that, in line with the agreement reached with the aforementioned countries, visa requirements for Azerbaijani citizens transiting through these countries have been temporarily lifted, and a COVID-19 passport and a negative PCR test are no longer required. Citizens are only required to present their passports.

The ministry emphasized that since the start of military operations, 950 Azerbaijani citizens have entered Moldova, 447 Poland, 17 Hungary, 200 Romania, and 13 Slovakia.

“Due to the situation in Ukraine, we advise our citizens to stay away from military facilities, stay at home or in a safe place, and refrain from traveling,” the ministry said.

It was noted that in connection with special cases, Azerbaijani citizens can contact the Azerbaijani Embassy in Kyiv by phone: (+380 73) 5050000 and by e-mail: [email protected], the Honorary Consulate in Kharkiv by phone: (+38057) 7000531 and by email: [email protected].

Depending on the development of the situation, additional information will be provided to the citizens, the ministry added.

Meanwhile, the State Committee on Work with Diaspora stated that nine Azerbaijani students had departed Kyiv after being stuck in the basement of a residential complex for many days.

The committee added that one more Azerbaijani student joined them, and they left the Ukrainian capital by train to a safer place.

The committee keeps in touch with students and advises their families and friends not to be concerned. It added that the students would be taken to one of Ukraine's neighboring countries as soon as possible and evacuated to Azerbaijan.

The State Committee on Work with Diaspora, in collaboration with other state bodies, is continuing to work on the evacuation of Azerbaijanis from Ukraine to Baku.

The committee also stated that the evacuation of Azerbaijani drivers in Ukraine is currently in progress.

It was noted that six trucks from Odessa were the first to be transported to Moldova. The trucks have now arrived at the Romanian border, and the drivers are awaiting the completion of the necessary paperwork.

The Azerbaijani diplomatic corps in Moldova is in charge of the evacuation. Drivers stationed at the Odessa port's region are expected to relocate to Moldova as a result of agreements between the Digital Development and Transport Ministry, the State Road Transport Service, and the Azerbaijan International Road Carriers Association (ABADA) and the necessary agencies.

Drivers are being evacuated from Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other parts of Ukraine, and communication is being kept with them on a daily basis, the committee said.

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