Kazakhstan Evacuates Over 3,300 Citizens from Middle East Amid Regional Tensions
Astana, The Gulf Observer: More than 3,300 Kazakhstani nationals have returned home as the government continues efforts to repatriate citizens stranded across the Middle East amid the ongoing regional tensions, the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
According to the ministry, a total of 12 evacuation flights have been conducted since the launch of the repatriation operations. The flights, operated by both resident and non-resident airlines, have successfully brought back over 3,300 Kazakh citizens to the country.
The ministry added that evacuation efforts are also being carried out via land routes to facilitate the safe return of citizens from affected areas.
As part of these efforts, Kazakhstan’s diplomatic missions in Iran arranged the departure of seven Kazakh nationals working at the Zarkukh gold mining enterprise, facilitating their movement toward the Iran–Armenia border.
Earlier, 34 workers from the same enterprise had also left Iran by bus through the Armenian border with assistance from Kazakh diplomats in Tehran and Yerevan. In total, 52 Kazakh citizens have returned home from Iran so far.
The Foreign Ministry emphasized that Kazakhstan’s diplomatic missions across the region will continue coordinating evacuation efforts on the ground and remain in constant contact with citizens in the conflict-affected areas until the repatriation process is fully completed.
