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Tengrinews.kz - Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed how many citizens were evacuated from Israel and Iran.
According to the ministry’s official spokesperson, Aibek Smadiyarov, Kazakhstan carried out a large-scale evacuation operation under extremely challenging conditions.
“Our diplomats made every effort. As a result, 230 Kazakhstani citizens have been evacuated from Iran, and 66 from Israel,” Smadiyarov said during a briefing.
The evacuation from Israel involved transporting citizens by bus to the Egyptian border, after which they flew from Cairo to Shymkent and then traveled on to their respective regions. According to Smadiyarov, the evacuation from Iran was more complicated: Kazakhstani citizens were transported through three countries — Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Armenia.
“It was especially difficult at night — along winding mountain roads. In some cases, people spent up to 17 hours on buses. Borders were closed, so we had to make both diplomatic and human efforts to get them opened in the middle of the night so people could be let through. The Iranian border service allowed people to exit, and Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkmenistan accepted them. It was an unexpected and urgent situation. We are grateful to our colleagues in Israel, Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan for their assistance,” Smadiyarov added.
According to him, all evacuees are now safe. However, around 50 Kazakhstani citizens remain in Iran, and around 170 in Israel. Most of those in Iran are staff at Kazakhstan’s diplomatic missions.
“In response to the question of when the embassy will be evacuated — I’d like to say that if we evacuate our diplomats, who will help the others? That’s why our diplomats are staying and continuing their work,” said the spokesperson.
He stressed that anyone who has chosen to remain in conflict zones can contact the Kazakh embassy at any time should they wish to return home.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin commented on how the conflict between Iran and Israel could affect Kazakhstan’s exports in that direction.
