PLANS are underway to facilitate the evacuation of the remaining Bahrainis stranded in Iran and other countries.
Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani said yesterday that the ministry was co-ordinating with all authorities concerned and Bahrain’s embassies abroad to bring back citizens from Iran, Iraq and other countries in the Gulf and the Arab region amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
He was speaking following a meeting with senior MPs about evacuating Bahrainis stranded in Iran as part of the International Covid-19 Repatriation Programme (ICRP).
“The ministry is co-ordinating with the Health Ministry and diplomatic missions abroad to evacuate citizens present in Iran, Iraq, Syria and in the Gulf and Arab countries, including Bahraini students studying abroad,” said Dr Al Zayani in a statement.
“The ministry has issued indicative data and published it to all media and social media, urging citizens to register their data with the kingdom’s embassies abroad.
“The ministry also co-ordinated with diplomatic missions abroad to facilitate the bringing of medicines and medical devices from the exporting countries.”
Parliament first vice-chairman Abdulnabi Salman and MPs Sayed Falah Hashem, Mamdooh Al Saleh and Ahmed Al Demistani attended the meeting, along with Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary Dr Shaikha Rana bint Isa Al Khalifa.
Mr Salman, meanwhile, told the GDN that a number of diplomatic and airspace issues were creating challenges in repatriating the nearly 1,200 Bahrainis from Iran.
“We were informed that there were difficulties which were diplomatic in nature as it involves the airports of different countries outside Bahrain and their airspaces,” he said.
“(The officials) also explained that certain last-minute changes due to technical issues could not be avoided, but that the government is serious about (returning) its citizens from Iran.
“We were also informed that we should expect around 100 people to arrive on the next flight from Mashhad.”
The second group of 63 Bahrainis were evacuated from Iran on Wednesday night after two previously scheduled flights were delayed, while the first batch of 160 Bahrainis returned on March 10.
Meanwhile, Bahrain has collaborated with Kuwait’s authorities to successfully aid in the return of 45 Kuwaiti citizens and ensuring the necessary medical tests were conducted before their departure.
Bahrain’s participation comes within a larger scale operation to ensure the safe return of around 800 Kuwaiti citizens returning from Europe and the US who are expected to leave Bahrain in the coming days to Kuwait once a schedule of their returning flights is finalised.
The first batch of Kuwaiti citizens who returned were elderly citizens and those with chronic illnesses or special needs, and praised the high quality care and services they received while in Bahrain.
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