site.btaTask Force Provides Update on Middle East Evacuation Efforts

The task force set up with the Foreign Ministry amid the Middle East escalation provided an update Friday on the efforts to evacuate Bulgarian citizens from the countries in the region. "This is a real operation, Sincere Care, launched by order of the prime minister. We are carrying it out using all available state resources and are seeking the cooperation of all aviation operators capable of carrying out evacuation flights," Deputy Foreign Minister Velizar Shalamanov said at a news briefing by the task force.

Shalamanov noted that the airspace over the United Arab Emirates is currently open, which allows many countries to conduct evacuation flights and aviation operators to operate.

He stressed that all decisions regarding the evacuation of tourists from the Middle East are made strictly according to procedure by professional operational staff, without any interference from the leadership of the Foreign Ministry or other ministries. "Although there is an established process through phone lines and the ministry’s website, people have called directly Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynsky, Irena Georgieva from the task force and the deputy ministers. All such information is forwarded to the task force, where it is processed impartially to ensure that no one receives preferential treatment because of personal calls to officials", said Shalamanov.

Some travel agencies have complained of inadequate and unfair management of the entire evacuation process by the authorities in Bulgaria.

Shalamanov emphasized that the teams are working under enormous pressure, organizing shifts around the clock. The current focus is to assist every citizen who has requested help from the Ministry’s teams. He added that once the operation ends, a full review will be conducted to assess whether there have been any glitches. "There is no Bulgarian citizen who had sought help from the task force and received none," he said.

He also urged the media not to spread panic and said that the Foreign Ministry website has been targeted by cyberattacks.

According to Irena Dimitrova, director of the Situational Center Directorate at the Foreign Ministry, Bulgaria is the second European Union country to have evacuated more than 1,000 people by air from the United Arab Emirates. She noted that there are many duplicate names on the lists and that officials are currently coordinating the data on those who have already returned and those still in the region.

Arrangements have also been made for a flight to bring back Bulgarian tourists from the Maldives, said Anelia Marinova, director of the Civil Aviation Administration Directorate General. The flight will be operated by the GullivAir airline. "We are in contact with all Bulgarian airlines, and they have expressed readiness to assist," she added.

Airports in Doha, Bahrain and Kuwait remain closed, she added. "We are ready to organize a charter flight if an option is found to evacuate people from there," Marinova said.