Azerbaijan evacuates 7,696 citizens since Ukraine hostilities

By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Some 7,696 Azerbaijani citizens have left Ukraine since the start of hostilities there, the Foreign Ministry has reported.

Since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, 6,500 Azerbaijanis have crossed into Moldova, 770 into Poland, 318 into Romania, 60 into Slovakia, and 48 into Hungary.

Over 1,000 Azerbaijanis arrived in Romania from Ukraine on the morning of March 4, Vagif Hasanov, the head of the Azerbaijani diaspora organization in Romania, reported.

He added that a flight from Bucharest to Istanbul and then to Baku will be organized as there are no direct flights from Romania to Azerbaijan.

"Our compatriots with personal vehicles can return to their homeland by land via Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Georgia," he said.

Turkish Airlines evacuated more than 40 Azerbaijani citizens. 

The Foreign Ministry earlier reported that 900 Azerbaijanis, mostly women, children, and the elderly, had been evacuated to Azerbaijan via five charter flights from Romania.

The ministry also stated that charter flights for Azerbaijani citizens from neighboring countries, as well as bus evacuation, will continue.

Due to the situation in Ukraine, Azerbaijani citizens continue to migrate from neighboring countries to Moldova, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

Visa requirements for Azerbaijani citizens transiting through these countries have been temporarily lifted as a result of an agreement reached with these countries; citizens must only submit travel documents; a COVID-19 passport and a negative PCR test are not required.

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

Rovshan Guliyev, chairman of the Birlik Odessa Diaspora of Azerbaijanis public organization, said that 170 Azerbaijanis had been sent from Ukraine's Odessa to Moldova through the support of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora and diaspora organizations.

The evacuation of citizens from Moldova to Azerbaijan is expected in the coming days.

The State Committee, acting on behalf of the Azerbaijani government and in collaboration with other government agencies, is doing everything possible to evacuate compatriots from Ukraine.

Another 201 Azerbaijani citizens, including 18 young children, returned to their homeland on another AZAL evacuation flight from the Romanian airport of Iasi on March 3.

As previously stated, AZAL operates daily evacuation flights under President Ilham Aliyev's order to evacuate compatriots.

“Evacuation flights are free for Azerbaijani citizens. Citizens of our country who left Ukraine can apply to the diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan abroad to return to their homeland,"  the report added.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry announced that 540 people would be transported by land from Russia to Azerbaijan.

For border crossing, a working group of employees from the Foreign Ministry, the Interior Ministry, and the Emergencies Ministry was dispatched to Russia's Dagestan.

Azerbaijani citizens and their family members were registered and provided with the necessary consular assistance by members of the working group.

It should be noted that, as a result of activities coordinated with Russian local agencies, 540 registered persons were able to cross the Russia-Azerbaijan state border via the Yarag-Kazmalyar (Russia) and Samur (Azerbaijan) checkpoints between February 23-28, in accordance with the daily quota established by the operational headquarters under the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers.

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].

During the evacuation, priority is given to women, parents with children, the elderly, and students.

On March 2, 168 more Azerbaijani citizens evacuated from Ukraine arrived in Baku, Trend reported.

At 0920 on March 2, passengers on the third charter flight arrived at Heydar Aliyev International Airport. The majority of those evacuated were women and children.

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

Moreover, Azerbaijan’s Honorary Consulate in Kharkiv evacuated 500 Azerbaijani citizens, supporting them to cross the Ukrainian-Polish border in Lviv.