Russian Embassy staff evacuated from Iran via Azerbaijan’s Astara border

The evacuation of foreign nationals from Iran is actively continuing through the Astara state border checkpoint, with Azerbaijan serving as a key transit route, Azernews reports.

Among those evacuated today were citizens from the United States, Russia, Ukraine, and Italy. Notably, approximately 20 employees of the Russian Embassy in Iran and their family members were safely evacuated to Azerbaijan.

All evacuees underwent document checks at the border before being transported to Baku by vehicles allocated for this purpose.

One of the evacuees, Simin Emily, shared her personal connection to Azerbaijan:
"I am very happy to come to Azerbaijan. It is an honor for me to say that my grandparents are Azerbaijanis. They were born in Baku. Therefore, being in Azerbaijan really made me very happy."

Azerbaijan's role in facilitating the evacuation has been widely acknowledged. Several foreign governments have formally requested assistance from the Azerbaijani authorities to help their citizens transit safely from Iran to their home countries via Azerbaijani territory.