site.btaUPDATED Some 11,400 Bulgarians Are Stranded in the Middle East, Says Foreign Minister

Some 11,400 Bulgarian citizens and hundreds of Bulgarian tourists are stranded in the Middle East, caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Nadezhda Neynsky told a press conference, following a meeting of the Security Council on Saturday. The Council convened earlier on Saturday in connection with the escalating military actions in the Middle East.

Neynsky reported: "We are in contact with all our allies, as well as with all our embassies and diplomatic missions in the region. We have detailed evacuation plans, which were updated even before the conflict began, as well as a list of Bulgarian citizens in the region."

There are 498 Bulgarian citizens in Lebanon, and a total of 47 Bulgarian citizens and 14 Iranian citizens in Iran who are subject to evacuation. In Israel, there are over 10,000 Bulgarian citizens permanently residing there, Neynsky said. According to her, their actual number exceeds this figure several times over.

There are 140 Bulgarian citizens residing in Iraq and over 360 with dual citizenship. There are 300 Bulgarian citizens in Qatar, 185 of whom are registered with the Embassy, the Foreign Minister added.

Neynsky stressed that at present, the embassies in Tehran, Tel Aviv, and Beirut assess that evacuation is not necessary, but the State is ready to respond at a moment's notice, if need be.

In connection with the evacuation plans, crossing the land border is being discussed with the Azerbaijani government. The Minister added: "We have experience from 2025 when we carried out evacuations from Iran, Israel, and Jordan." She said that she would not comment on possible evacuation plans in order to maintain the security of the routes developed. She called on Bulgarian citizens who are temporarily in the region or are tourists to register on the Foreign Ministry's Travel Advice platform.

Neynsky reported that alternative routes for the delivery of energy sources have been developed to prevent the crisis in the region from affecting the price of energy carriers.